Reunion Series by Kirsten Tapp
by Zaz
Summary: [ML] The wonderful stories of Kirsten Tapp, all brought together under the same title. Now up, five new Bonus Chapters 48 52 and the Final Chapter of the actual series, 45 And they lived happily ever after
1. Escape From Hotel Manticore

**"Escape From Hotel Manticore"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

Max is still alive and Jondy is in town. Time for Max's family to break her out.

**Timeframe:**

Occurs after "And Jesus Brought a Cassarole".

**Rating:**

PG

* * *

Logan could see why Max had loved the view from the top of the building where he now sat. Everything seemed so peaceful from here. From this height he felt so close to her, almost as though at any minute, she would sit down beside him and everything would be alright. But it wasn't. Max was gone and Logan felt as though a huge part of him was gone too. Casting the dark city one more glance he headed home. 

Max watched the night breeze rustle the leaves of the trees that hid the high Manticore fences from the outside world. They almost seemed to be beckoning her. The only thing that kept her strong, trapped inside this sterile room like a lab rat, was Logan. Knowing he was out there, remembering how it felt when he held her, that mischievous sparkle in his eyes when he teased her. All of those things kept her mind focused on escaping. 

Something in the trees caught her attention. Concentrating her vision between the rustling leaves, Max could see a young woman perched on one of the top branches in the tree. A smile spread across the woman's pale face. She knew that Max could see her. Although Max couldn't put her finger on it, there was something familiar about her. 

As Max watched, the woman moved carefully in the tree until her back was facing Max. Pushing her long red hair aside, she displayed her neck marked with a barcode. _Jondy._ Max knew there were cameras in the room with her, but she had to get a message to Logan. Waiting for Jondy to turn herself back around, Max spelt out Logan's name using sign language. She moved as close to the barred window as she could so that any view of her signals would be obscured from anyone but Jondy. 

Jondy watched quietly from her perch. _Logan Cale._ She nodded that she understood and swung herself down from the tree. "Guess I had better find myself a phone book." She looked down at her watch. "Hell, better get back to my dinner date." As much as she wanted to get Max out, Jondy knew better than to rush things and get her identity discovered. She had known instinctively that something had gone wrong, when Zack hadn't made contact. Against the others' wishes, she had come back and made contact with a one-night stand she had regretfully had when in heat four months before. It wasn't a meaningful one night, but at least he kept her sleepless night full and besides, he had a computer. If Logan Cale wasn't in the book, she could find him on the net. 

Climbing back through the bathroom window she changed into the dress she had hidden in one of the stalls. It hadn't taken much effort on her part to convince Edward to take her to a restaurant near Manticore. She had always had more confidence in herself when she was in season. Gracefully seating herself opposite Edward, she smiled apologetically. "Sorry I took so long. Wine is so hard to get out of this material." 

"No problem." Edward shrugged his shoulders. "You didn't seem very hungry anyway. So..." He rested his elbows on the table and his chin on his clasped hands. "Where did you disappear to four months ago? I woke up and you were gone." 

Jondy smiled sweetly. "Family emergency." She took another sip of wine. "You know what. You're right. I'm not very hungry. Want to leave?" She shot Edward a sexy smile. 

"Check!" Edward's reaction was instant. Little did he know that at that moment, even the pimply faced bus boy looked appealing to Jondy. 

The door to Edward's apartment came crashing down with Jondy and Edward on top of it. Edward brushed aside Jondy's hair from her neck. "You know, I could have found my keys." He started to kiss his way up her neck. 

Jondy giggled. "You were taking too long." The smile fell from her face as she noticed the three armed soldiers standing guns raised in front of them. "What the hell is going on?" 

Edward grinned at the startled redhead. "Oh come on Jessica. You didn't really think that I would fall for that 'I work out and that's why I'm stronger than your average woman' line, did you?" He brushed his hand down her cheek and chuckled when she flinched. "You certainly gave me a run for my money that last time we spent the night together." 

"Time to go." One of the soldiers grabbed Jondy by the arm and pulled her off of Edward to her feet. "She's waiting." 

Thinking quickly, Jondy swung around kneeing the solider in the groin. Grabbing his gun she fired it three times, taking all three soldiers out before they had time to react. As she turned back towards Edward, she heard a shot fire out, then she felt the burning in her side. 

"I've been asked to bring you in alive, but I don't have to, Jess." Edward looked her up and down. "Of course, I could spare you an hour or two if you want to convince me not to turn you in." His eyes moved back to her face. "You know I'll make it worth your while." He grinned, self-satisfied. 

Jondy held her bleeding side and glared at the six foot four tall man in front of her. "Sure, I'll give you something to remember me by." Flicking the gun up into her hand, she fired low. 

Edward fell to the ground grasping his groin, screaming. There was a look of complete amazement on his face. When Jondy walked up to where he was lying on the floor, amazement turned to fear. 

Jondy grabbed the phone book off of the table beside the door and slung the soldiers' guns over her shoulder. "First of all, you were never worth my while and second..." She picked her coat off of the floor, wincing from the pain from the wound in her side as she put in on. "Even the pizza delivery boy turns me on at the moment." With that she walked out the door and across to a door that said _stairs_. The neighbors would have called the police when the gunshots had started ringing out. Careful not to mark the pages of the phone book with her bloodied hand, Jondy looked up Logan's address in the phone book. Leaving the phone book on the stairs, she made her way, step by step, out of the building and onto the darkened streets. "Logan Cale, whoever you are, I hope you don't go to sleep early." Jondy pulled her coat tighter around her sleek body. 

"Logan!" Bling found his friend seated in front of his computer starring at a photo of Max, as he had done so many nights lately. "You need anything, cause I'm heading off." 

Logan shook his head, looking up long enough to smile goodbye. "No. I'm fine. See you tomorrow." 

Bling watched him for a moment before heading for the door. "Yeah. See you tomorrow." He missed Max too, but he had seen the sparks between Max and Logan, long before they had. 

Logan heard the door close behind Bling. He put the photo aside and started to work on his computer. Hours had gone by when he realized that his head was so full of thoughts of Max, that he really wasn't accomplishing much. Switching the screen off, he saw a reflection in the blank monitor. Spinning around in his chair he came face to face with a strange woman leaning back against the table, which had been behind him. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" 

The woman had a long royal blue coat on, which was hanging open. The dress she wore was lavender, which along with her coat made her eyes seem the same colour as the sky on a clear day. Her long red hair flowed over her shoulders, bright against her pale skin. "Your window's broken." Her English accent seemed to fit her whole appearance perfectly. 

"Yeah, I've been meaning to get that fixed." Logan gestured to her outfit. "You climbed up here in that outfit?" He noticed that she had a pair of high heels in her hand. "And carrying those?" 

The woman smiled at him. "What can I say: I'm a multi functional woman. Are you Logan Cale? Cause if you aren't, I climbed up here for nothing, not to mention, ruined a perfectly good dress." 

"I'm Logan. I still don't know who you are though or why you are here." There was something unsettling about the petite redhead. Logan stood with the help of the exo-skeleton he had not yet taken off. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not, but the woman seemed to be getting paler and paler by the minute. "Are you alright, Miss?" 

"I'm fine." She looked Logan straight in the eye. "Max says to say hi." And then she collapsed on the wooden floor, her coat falling open to show the bloodstain on her lavender dress. 

Logan rushed into the bathroom and grabbed a couple of towels and soaked a washcloth. Kneeling down beside the unconscious woman, he picked up the cordless phone and dialed a number. Tucking the phone under his chin, he started to gently roll the woman over. The back of her dress was also stained and her hair had fallen aside to reveal her barcode. Logan heard the phone on the other end of his call get picked up. "Hey. It's Logan. Can you get over here? I think one of your sisters has just collapsed on my floor." He put the phone down on the floor beside him after hanging up the call. The possibility of Max being alive was mind blowing. 

Ripping the material of the woman's dress, Logan carefully cleaned the wound. Strangely enough, he wasn't surprised to find it was a bullet wound. The bullet appeared to have gone straight through and luckily hadn't hit any major organs. Logan looked up as he heard the sound of his door being opened and a few seconds later Krit and Syl came into view. "Does she look familiar?" He moved aside so that they could both see the woman's face. 

"Jondy!" Krit raced to his sister's side. "How did she know where to find you?" He looked over at Logan. 

"She said 'Max says hi' just before she collapsed." Logan stood and stepped back so that Syl could move beside Jondy. "What's with the accent?" 

Syl stroked her sister's hair. "Jondy changed her accent after we escaped so that it would be harder to find her. Lydecker wasn't looking for twelve British kids. He was looking for twelve American kids." Syl looked over at her brother, her face full of hope. "If Jondy got a message from Max here, she must of seen her. That means she's alive." 

Krit frowned. "How? Logan and Lydecker said she died in Logan's arms. Logan saw her injuries." 

"Logan is still in the room." Logan rolled his eyes. He started to pace. "I'm no doctor, but to survive the injury I saw, Max would have had to had a heart transplant. Something tells me a transplant into a X5 would be even more difficult than one into your average human." 

Krit shook his head. "Zack never came back, remember. You said Jondy mentioned Max, did she say anything about Zack?" 

"I never saw Zack." Jondy opened her eyes. "I only saw Max. I got worried when none of you checked in, so I got a guy to take me out to dinner near Manticore and got a visual of Max from up a tree." She stood with the help of Krit and Syl. 

"So you got shot while up the tree?" Logan gestured to the sofa so that they could all sit down. 

"No. I got shot when we went back to his place for sex. Bastard set me up." She was so matter of fact about it that Logan had to laugh. 

"Haven't you ever heard of safe sex?" Logan walked into his room and grabbed a bathrobe. Jondy's dress was pretty shredded and he didn't know if she would go into shock. 

"Yes, but I like to live dangerously." Jondy matched his wit with her own. "Max sent me here. I pretty much figured while I was lying on your floor that you were under the impression that she was dead." 

"It could be a trick." Syl ran her hand through her long blond hair. "It wouldn't be the first time Manticore has tried to trick us." 

Krit looked at Jondy thoughtfully. "If it were anyone else, I'd agree with you. Nobody was closer to Max than Jondy, not even Zack." 

Logan watched Jondy. "You're sure it was Max." Every part of him wanted it to be true, but experience made him cautious. 

Jondy's big blue eyes were deadly serious. "I know it was Max." 

Syl looked over at Krit. "Looks as though we're going back to Manticore." She glanced at her watch. "No time tonight. Besides we need more weapons and a way to get rid of those X7s that Lydecker was talking about." 

Krit nodded. "It would help if Jondy was in on the action as well." He put his arm around his sister's shoulder. "That's a pretty bad wound you've got there. Are you going to be up for it?" 

Jondy nodded. "She'd do the same for me. Just get me a place to crash, I don't think I can go back to where I was originally going to stay. I think I wore out my welcome." 

"You can stay here." Logan didn't want the only link he had to Max, too far away. "I'll sleep on the sofa." 

"Do you think you can keep your hands off of him, Sis?" Krit smirked. He knew his sister well enough to tell what that look on her face meant. 

"Being shot is sort of a painful equivalent of a cold shower." Jondy stood slowly. "Speaking of which, can I use your shower?" 

Logan nodded and pointed towards the bathroom. "Careful you don't start that wound bleeding again." He waited for Jondy to leave the room. "Are you sure she'll be in any condition to break into Manticore?" 

Krit nodded. "Max and Jondy were the closest thing Manticore had to twins--the way they think, the way they feel, the way they fight. They would walk over hot coals for each other no matter what condition they were in." 

Syl nodded. "Can you find out whereabouts in Manitcore they're holding Max? We need all the edge we can get." 

Logan nodded. "I'll get started first thing in the morning. If news of Jondy's activities tonight have gotten out, Manticore will be stepping up their security measures. 

Logan rolled over and pulled the blankets around him. It was no good, he couldn't sleep when he knew Max was trapped inside that place. Rubbing his eyes, Logan sat up and eased his legs off of the sofa. He glanced out the window and saw Jondy sitting on the windowsill, still wrapped up in his robe. "Couldn't sleep either?" 

Jondy looked at him over her shoulder. "I only sleep when I'm ill. Why don't you use your own bed." 

"Max only sleeps when she's ill as well." Logan was relieved to see that Jondy had some colour back in her face. 

Jondy eyes searched his face. "She knows that you'll get her out of there. She'll be able to sense it." She smiled at the confused look on Logan's face. "When Max loves, she loves with her whole heart. You're a lucky man." 

Max knew Jondy had found Logan. She could feel his relief when he had found out she was alive. Now all they had to do was figure out a way to get her out of here. For some reason the security had been doubled tonight. Max smiled to herself. Jondy always did make her presence known without meaning to. The sun would be up soon and someone would come to fetch Max for the next load of tests. All Max had to do was stay strong through the next twenty-four hours. Max knew Jondy wouldn't risk leaving her in here any longer than that. The ultimate betrayal that Max felt was seeing child versions of herself and the other escaped X5s watching her as if she were the enemy. Seeing a child copy of Zack while the heart of the original beat in her own chest was like a nightmare that she couldn't awaken from. 

Memories of herself and Jondy played over and over in her head, when she wasn't thinking of Logan. Jondy had always been so timid and unsure of herself. Only Max had caught glimpses of her true strength. Family: That's what kept Jondy strong. Lydecker had always considered the pale little girl their weakest link. But even he came to realize that she was effective as a distraction whenever they needed one. When Max felt frightened and alone, Jondy had been there for her. It had always been a friendship that worked both ways until they had escaped and become separated. 

Max could hear the guards marching down the hall to fetch her. The tests were meaningless to her while she was still recovering from the surgery. A lot of blood tests were being done with no reasons given. She had to wonder if they were trying to keep her in a weakened state, to prevent her from escaping. Boy, was Manticore in for a shock when her family came to get her. 

Max saw Brin pass her doorway. She had remained aloof and distant since Max had been there. Brin refused to believe that Lydecker wasn't responsible for Tinga's death. Max supposed that she couldn't blame Brin for that. Lydecker didn't exactly inspire loyalty. As much as Max hated to face the facts, Brin was no longer the sister that she loved and had escaped with. The part that hurt the most was, Max knew there would come a time she would have to destroy Brin in order to keep herself and her family alive. 

"Rise and shine, Sweetheart. The boss lady wants to see you." The guards were smart enough to follow orders and put Max in restraints, but not smart enough to acknowledge that the beautiful young woman in front of them could still kill both of them with her hands tied behind her back. Literally. "Nice to see you made yourself presentable for our visit." The guard would pay dearly for his sarcasm later. Max's hair was a tangled mess as nobody would risk giving her anything that could be used as a weapon. 

The guard pushed Max towards the door with no concern for her injuries. Max memorized every corridor, room, surveillance camera, anything that could help her get out. Her main problem would be getting over the fence. Although security had been doubled, the guards seemed to see no reason to be alarmed--probably because of the presence of the X7s. One of the guards yanked Max into an office and pushed her in front of the blond who had murdered Tinga. 

"I see you are recovering well." Renfro smiled kindly even though she knew Max would not believe that her concern was sincere. "You seem to be accepting your brother's heart. Just as well as he was so quick to give his life to spare yours." She knew her comments would unsettle Max. 

"Funny. I heard he offered your heart first, but they couldn't find it." Max was more than prepared to trade barbs with this bitch. 

Renfro, however had not been prepared for Max's comeback. Her smile faded quickly. "Well, it appears you are well enough to go back to training. Take her to join the others for reprogramming." She stood and turned to look out of the window. It had only taken a few weeks to reprogram Brin. Max was in a weaker condition, she seriously doubted it would take more than a week at the most. 

Again the guard pushed Max towards the door and down yet another sterile corridor. They stopped at the door to a classroom and shoved Max into a seat, but didn't remove her restraints. "Here's another one for you." Turning, the guard left Max in a room full of child soldiers. The faces of her brothers and sisters flashing on the wall in front of her with the words betrayal, traitor, and enemy flashing between the photos. 

Max cleared her mind and focused above the flashing photos and started to run the words of the poem that Logan had written about her through her head. When she got to the point where the poem seemed to recite in her head automatically, Max tapped into her memories of the wedding Logan had taken her to. She followed them with memories of the first time she had kissed him outside his family's cabin, thinking that it was goodbye. Much as Zack had wanted her to, she couldn't leave Logan. The last time they had kissed, when Zack had interrupted them. Max stifled a smile. It had been like being caught making out in your father's car, by your father. Or at least as close as she could imagine it would be like. She could keep this up forever. Manticore would never break her. 

"Logan!" Bling walked into the apartment, surprised not to find Logan asleep at his computer. 

"In the bathroom!" Logan's voice rang out above the classical music drifting through the rooms. "Come on in." 

Bling halted to a stop when he saw Logan changing the dressing on the wound of a pale redhead. "I can come back later." The young woman had on a black pair of jeans, a crop top and one of Logan's shirts over the top, which she was holding out of the way so that Logan could work on her wounds. 

Logan looked up from where he was seated in his wheelchair. "No, it's fine. Jondy, this is Bling. Bling, this is Max's sister, Jondy." He grabbed a roll of bandage and started wrapping it around her waist. "Are you sure about this, Jondy? You could start bleeding again." 

"I'll be fine. Just strap me up tight. I have to get over a fence tonight." Jondy never took her eyes off Bling. "Is he going to help us?" 

"Help you what?" Bling was quite taken aback with the young woman. He wasn't sure what to make of her. She looked about the same age as Max, with the same take charge attitude that Max seemed to carry with her. The English accent threw him though. "I take it I don't even want to know how you got that wound." 

"Max is alive and still at Manticore. We're breaking her out tonight." Logan taped the end of the bandage and rolled himself into the living room. Krit and Syl would be there soon and he was anxious to get started. "Any ideas on how to trap a load of kids with guns?" 

Jondy sat down on the sofa. "They'll be able to spot us a mile away. The ace up our sleeve that we still have, is the folks at Manticore are under the impression that we all think Max is dead. They won't be expecting us." 

"They weren't expecting you the last time." Bling seated himself opposite Logan. "Those kids got out. You told me yourself, Logan, that you had them trapped in a room and they broke out." 

Krit and Syl strolled into the room, backpacks in hand. "Will nerve gas keep you happy?" Krit tossed a pack to Jondy. "We found some on our way home last night." He grinned at his redheaded sister. "And we thought of you." 

Jondy returned his grin. "I'm touched." She stood and looked over at Logan. "Want to go and visit a friend in the hospital?" 

Logan frowned. "Don't you think the police will be looking for you. You shot three soldiers last night." 

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "So I'll borrow a nurse's uniform. Besides I'm curious as to why I got such a warm welcome. In heat or not, I'm not into fivesomes." 

"Curiosity killed the cat, little sister." Syl eyed her sister nervously. 

"Meow." Jondy headed for the door with Logan wheeling himself behind her. 

"So that's your sister?" Bling stared in amazement in the direction Jondy and Logan had gone. 

Krit nodded. "Yeah, that's her. Just like Max. Won't listen to reason when she's got her mind made up." 

Logan shook his head as Jondy wheeled him down the hospital corridor. "Could you have found a uniform that was any smaller for you." 

Jondy giggled. "No. Tell me though: How many men in this hospital do you suppose will be able to give an accurate description of me? Keep your face down. We don't want to show up on the monitors." 

Logan chuckled. "Have you done this before by any chance? Who's this friend we're visiting anyway?" 

"The bastard who shot me." Jondy turned the wheelchair into a room and closed the door behind her. "Guard the door." 

Logan wheeled his chair back against the door. "Whatever you're going to do, do it quick. We still have to get ready for tonight." He kept his voice to a whisper knowing Jondy's feline hearing would still pick up his voice. 

There were only two beds in the room and one of them was empty. Jondy moved quietly over to the man sleeping in the bed nearest the window. Leaning close to his ear, she kept her voice low. "Hello Lover. Miss me." 

The man's eyes flew open. As he went to yell for help, Jondy clamped her hand over his mouth. Logan watched the whole scene from his chair blocking the door. The man looked terrified of Jondy. 

"I'd keep my voice done if I were you." Jondy slowly uncovered Edward's mouth. "I want a few answers from you. Why did you set me up? What could Manticore possibly have to offer a useless creature like you?" 

"Money." Edward's voice was panicked. "When you left the first time, a notice went out over the net, if anyone could shed any light on some people with barcodes on the back of their necks. Some sort of soldiers it said. I remembered that mark on the back of your neck and sent through a message. Two days later some blond turned up on my doorstep and offered me a lot of money if I let her know when you contacted me." The fear slowly faded from Edwards face. "So when you called me and said you wanted to hook up, I phoned through to the number she had given me." He grinned. "Thought we had time for a little fun first. After all, you are very talented in the sack, Jessica." 

Jondy smiled down at Edward. "I know. But you're not." She walked around the bed and headed for the door. 

"What the hell is that doing here?" Jondy and Logan looked over at the window at the sound of Edward's voice. Floating outside the window was a hover drone. Logan opened the door and gently pushed Jondy out of it in front of him. "We've gotta go. Now." 

They were only a few steps down the corridor when the hover drone started firing into the hospital room. Logan and Jondy kept moving until they found the supply closet that Jondy had left her clothes in. Logan guarded the door while she changed. 

"What the hell happened in there?" Jondy opened the door and glanced down the corridor. 

"The hover drone has been modified to kill using a photograph of its target. Doesn't look as though your friend was ever going to get his money." Logan looked up at Jondy. "Better bring that nurse's uniform along. It might come in handy later." 

Jondy grinned as she handed the uniform to him to put in a bag he had strapped to his wheelchair. "You're not kinky, are you?" 

Logan couldn't help but smile. "That's not what I had in mind for it." He pushed the wheels on his chair as Jondy walked beside him. "What exactly were that guy's injuries?" 

Jondy held the door open so Logan could wheel past her. "Oh, I shot Edward in the general groin area." Her expression changed to mock innocence at the sight of Logan's shocked face. "Well, he shot me first." 

Logan shook his head as they both moved towards his car. "Well, I guess you got your revenge." It still surprised him, how Manticore had managed to package a killing machine in such an unthreatening form such as Max and Jondy. "Why did he call you Jessica?" 

Jondy moved to the other side of Logan's car and waited for him to unlock it. "I pretty much guessed Lydecker would check anyone using the names we had given each other. I saw the name Jessica on the front of a book and thought it sounded pretty, so I used it." She climbed into the car and shut the door. Looking past Logan at the hospital, a wistful look crossed her face. "By the way, revenge ain't as sweet as it's supposed to be." 

Logan had seen that exact look on Max's face so many times. "So, did you get the information you were looking for, cause I didn't get anything out of your little conversation." He turned his attention onto getting the car started. 

Jondy raised an eyebrow. "Well, Edward still didn't know who I really am. He was just in it for the sex and the money. Manticore obviously doesn't know where to find any of us, if they had to put out a notice on the web, then wait for one of us to slip up and make contact." A frown crossed her pretty face. "How did they find Max?" 

Logan pulled the car out onto the road and started driving towards his apartment. "She has an implant in her head. Manticore was tracking the implant." He shook his head when Jondy opened her mouth to speak. "Long story, don't ask. So I guess if Manticore still doesn't know how to find you, we still have an element of surprise." 

Jondy nodded. "Of course, if we could get our hands on some bullet proof vests, that would be an added bonus." 

Logan grinned. "I may be able to help you there. Let me make a phone call when we get back to my place." 

Max sat in her cell watching the guards pacing back and forth along the fence line. Even if Jondy and Logan got over the fence and past the guards, Max wasn't sure she could make it back over the fence herself. Max shook her head, she couldn't start thinking like that. She was getting out of here tonight. She had someone out there waiting for her this time. She wasn't going to end up alone. Max smiled to herself, she just wished she had something better to wear. God knows what sort of mess she looked like at the moment. 

Logan looked at the people joining him around the table in his apartment. Jondy, Krit and Syl would actually go into Manticore. Jondy had lifted the guns off of the soldiers she had killed the night before. None of the three X5s wanted to kill the X7 children, but the guns had a taser setting so if they had to, they could stun the X7s long enough to get away. The threesome looked so young to Logan, that it seemed so unfair that they had, had to live their lives running and fighting. Logan had managed to convince Matt at the police station to lend him some bulletproof vests. Jondy would go in wearing two, so that she had a spare for Max. 

Bling would track the implant in Max's head from the van they had stolen the last time they broke into Manticore. 

Logan would tap into Manticore's computer and camera systems, as he had been before also from the van. He had also contacted Original Cindy, who would be standing by in Logan's car as an alternative escape route. 

The only down side to their plan was that the X5s wanted to blow the power grid in the center of Manticore. One way or another, they wanted Manticore shut down for good. It meant however that Logan wouldn't have a visual on any of them once the explosions were detonated. 

"But you'll still have contact with them on the coms right." Original Cindy was not down with their plan either, but she knew how much Max wanted to be able to stop running." 

Logan nodded. "Yeah, but I still don't like it. That aside, make sure you all tell me where you are at all times." He wheeled himself into his room to put the exo-skeleton on. He needed to be mobile if anything went wrong. 

Krit and Syl had managed to obtain enough explosives from the army barracks at the other side of town. Jondy and Max would have to rely on their brother and sister to help them over the fence. They had no idea what condition Max was in and Jondy, although Logan had strapped her up well, was still their weak link because of her injury. It was one thing to get her into Manticore, it was another if her body didn't hold up long enough to get her out. 

Jondy strapped the second vest on and grabbed her backpack. "Let's go get our sister then." 

As it got darker, the three X5s moved through the forest and up into the trees, where Jondy had been the night before. Max was still in the same room and waiting. She spotted the threesome straight away. Keeping her hand signals low as before, Max gave her family the positions of the guards in the Manticore grounds. 

Krit moved in first. Leaping over the fence he landed on two of the guards, knocking them both to the ground. A couple of well delivered kicks later, the guards were unconscious. Krit signaled for Jondy to come over next while the way was clear. Catching her as she landed so that her body didn't take the full impact of hitting the ground, he then signaled for Syl. 

Moving quietly through the grounds, the three of them disposed of the six guards round the Manticore fortress. "Looks as though we're going in the front door this time." Syl checked the way was clear before waving the other two in. 

"We're in. Which way are we heading?" Krit glanced down the corridor to his left. "We've got a few choices, Logan." 

Bling's voice came over the coms. "The corridor on your right leads down to the infirmary. Looks like that's where they've got Max." 

"If you go straight ahead, it'll lead you straight to the power generator." Logan checked all of the monitors. "And you're all clear." 

"I'll get Max, you guys take out the generator and the power grid." Jondy took a step to her right. "Bling, can you get a visual on Max?" 

Bling hit a couple of keys on the keyboard. The screen flickered briefly and then a picture flashed up. "Got her. Looks like she's expecting you." Bling grinned at Logan. "Now isn't that a sight to behold." 

Logan nodded as he watched Max pace back and forth in the small room. "Now all we have to do is bring her home." 

"I'm working on it." Jondy jogged down the corridor, checking the rooms as she went. "I don't want to tempt fate, guys, but why are so many of these rooms empty?" She paused and looked around the corner. "Damn. Guards right in front of Max's room." 

"Find her a supply closet." Logan's eyes left the monitor for only a second. "Jondy, I packed something extra for you." He went back to focusing on Krit and Syl. "Krit, Syl. Unfriendlies on your left. Looks like five of them." Seconds later, all five were on the ground. 

"Damn." Bling spotted Jondy wheeling a trolley towards the infirmary, dressed in the nurse's uniform she had stolen from the hospital earlier that day. "What did she do, pour herself into that dress?" 

The guards stepped aside to let Jondy in the room. "You want one of us to go in with you? This one's supposed to be dangerous." 

Jondy smiled sweetly. "Would you mind? I have to take her meds." She waited for one of the guards to walk in the room and then pushed the trolley in ahead of her. She knocked a scalpel on the floor and waited for the guard to bend down to pick it up. While the guard was busy checking out her long legs she caught Max's eye and looked down at the trolley in front of her. She had mainly dumped anything that she could find in the supply closet on the trolley. However, she had deliberately picked up the chloroform bottle. 

Max nodded that she understood. As she grabbed the bottle of chloroform and emptied it onto some dressings, Jondy grabbed the guard and held him still for her. Max stepped back long enough to let the guard drop to the ground and then leapt forward to hug her sister. "Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes." She looked down at Jondy's outfit. "Nice outfit. You been shopping in the kiddie's section again?" 

Jondy grinned and pulled her backpack out from under the trolley. "Got you a present, Sis." She pulled out a set of coms for Max and a handed her, her gun. "Set the gun on taser. We might need to use it on those kids I saw running around the grounds the other night. I hear they're not too friendly." Jondy, like Max, hated guns and would only use them if given no choice. The taser would only stun and render its target unconscious, not kill it. She started undoing the uniform. Underneath the already tight uniform she had been wearing two bulletproof vests. Quickly she unstrapped one and tossed it to Max, who was watching the guard outside the door. Pulling her clothes that she had originally worn on, she jammed the uniform back into her bag and pulled the backpack onto her back. "Time to go home. Krit, Syl, how are you going?" 

Krit armed the last of the explosives. "We're done. Meet you at the front door." He headed back the way they had come in. 

Syl grabbed her brother's arm. "What's wrong with this picture?" She was looking out a window into the grounds. It looked as though every guard on the grounds were heading to the left side of the building. 

"Guys." Original Cindy's voice came over the coms. "I don't know if this is any interest to you, but two trucks just turned up at the front gate and they look like they're pretty full of G.I. Joes." 

"Damn." Logan hit a few keys on the keyboard. "She's tapped into our loops." The screen flickered in front of him and he saw Renfro heading towards the infirmary. The guards and the X7s had been alerted to Jondy's presence, but they seemed unaware of Krit and Syl. "Krit, Syl. Can you get to Max and Jondy. They've been made." 

"We're on our way." Krit broke into a run with Syl right beside him. "Are you sure we're clear?" 

Logan checked and double checked. "Turn right 100 meters up that corridor and you should miss the troops coming in the front door." 

Bling checked the screen for a way out for the two women. "The only way out is back the way you came. It looks like they're waiting for you." 

Max and Jondy grabbed their guns. "Well I've had enough of Hotel Manticore. Show me the way home, my sister." Max threw the door open and stood aside for her sister to get a clear shot with the taser. 

"Let's go. I have a date in an hour." Jondy checked up the corridor before moving out. "Bling, how far ahead are we clear?" 

"Stay put and take cover. We're in the next corridor down." Krit picked up speed, as he rounded the corner. He and Syl jumped for cover as a group of X7s opened fire on them. 

"You should have waited for Bling to answer my question." Jondy snapped as she lent out of the doorway long enough to get a couple of shots off. 

"How's it look out there?" Max braced herself behind Jondy in the doorway. 

"I'd say, about twenty kids with guns and some blond watching the whole thing." Jondy shrugged. "We've had worse. Know who the blond is?" 

"Renfro." Max switched her weapon form taser to gun. 'That's the bitch that killed Tinga." She shouldered her weapon. "Cover me. It's payback time." Max swung around and fired directly at Renfro while Jondy threw herself to the floor and started firing at the X7s. 

Renfro went flying backwards, her lung punctured, while the X7s kept firing at Jondy and Max, like machines. 

"Krit, Syl. Blow the power generator and grid." It was the only thing Logan could think of to get them out. 

Krit pulled the detonators out of his bag and handed one to Syil. "On three. One, two, three." 

The explosions shook the whole building knocking the unsuspecting X7s off of their feet. 

"Now!" Max's yell could be heard echoing off the walls and the corridors. Switching her gun back to taser, the four X5s opened fire. Caught off guard, the X7s didn't have time to retrieve the weapons they had lost grip of in the explosion. 

"Let's get out of here now!" Syl couldn't help but wonder how long the X7s would actually stay out. 'I don't want those little bastards to be able to move while we're still in the building." She tossed a can of nerve gas into the corridor. 

"I heard that." Max cautiously moved pass the children lying on the floor. "I've had enough of Manticore's hospitality." She paused as they passed Renfro grasping her chest, struggling for a breath. "That's for Tinga." She held her breath as she moved on through the dark and smoke. 

Each of the four X5s glared at Renfro as they stepped over her on their way out. They got to the end of the corridor and saw that their exit was blocked by a group of soldiers. 

"Logan. Have we got another way out?" Max slowly backed up with Jondy beside her. "Cause we've got a whole load of gate crashers to our little party." 

"Max, we just blew up the power grid and generator. Logan can't guide us out." Krit started edging back as well. 

"So let's go through them." Syl stopped her brother. "No power, no lights. We can see them, better than they can see us, remember. Besides I still have this." She held up another can of nerve gas. 

Krit looked at his younger two sisters. "Are you two up for this?" 

Max was confused. She understood why Krit might be concerned for her health, but what was wrong with Jondy. She looked over at her sister. "You alright?" 

"I'm up for this if you are." Jondy grinned at her sister. She would explain later when they were a safe distance away. 

"Let's do it." Max pushed aside her concerns and concentrated on the task at hand. She grabbed the can of gas and tossed it at the soldiers. 

Krit and Syl led the way. Because of their advantage the X5s used their guns like bats, swinging them in the mid sections of their opponents. With it being so dark, the soldiers were tripping over their fellow officers. One unfortunately got a lucky blow into Jondy's side. Screaming with pain, she doubled over holding her side. Jerking her head up, a look of grim determination on her face, she lunged up, her free hand clenched in a fist and drove it up between the soldiers legs. The man went down like a ton of bricks. 

Max rushed forward and put her arm around Jondy's waist, careful to avoid jerking her too much. She signaled to the others and made her way out the front door. As they got to the fence she stopped. "Sorry guys. There's no way Jondy and I are going to make it over the fence." 

"I don't think we're going to have to." Jondy was watching Logan's car fast approaching the front gate. She signaled to Krit and Syl. "Go. I think we just got Dial-a-Driver." 

Krit and Syl nodded as Original Cindy drove Logan's car straight through the front gate and screeched to a stop right in front of Max and Jondy. "Hey, sugar. Need a lift." 

"Hell yes." Max helped Jondy into the back of the car and then jumped into the front. "Go." She slammed the door shut as Original Cindy floored the gas pedal and sped out the front gate into the night. 

"You know, Boo, you scared the hell out of all of us. Don't ever die again." Original Cindy shot her friend a stern look. 

"Krit and Syl?" Jondy unstrapped her vest to get a look at her wound. "Are they safe?" 

Max looked over her shoulder at her sister, who was obviously in extreme pain. "You came in after me with a gapping hole in your side. Are you nuts?" 

Jondy gave Max a "You've gotta be kidding me" look. "It didn't say so on my psych evaluation. But there is always the possibility. Logan, have Krit and Syl made it back to you guys?" 

"Yeah." Logan slammed the door to the van as soon as Krit and Syl had jumped in. "See you soon." He climbed into the passenger's side and shut the door. "Let's get outta here." Bling floored the gas pedal. "No problem." They sped off through the dark. "Anybody injured?" He kept his eyes on the road but he and Logan had both heard someone scream out in pain over the coms. Logan tensed up at Bling's question. He hadn't wanted to ask incase it had been Max. He couldn't face loosing her again. 

Krit shook his head after confirming with Syl that she was fine. "We're fine, but I think Jondy took a blow to her side. She didn't look too good when she and Max got into your car with Original Cindy." 

Syl nodded in agreement. "We'll have to find somewhere safe for her to stay. She can't travel like that." 

"We'll find somewhere." Logan promised. He felt a slight twinge of guilt that he was so relieved that Max wasn't the one hurt. "I know of a couple of places she can stay once we've patched her up." 

"I don't know, Boo, I think Bling was starting to get worried about the way your sister here was eyeing him up like some dessert." Original Cindy bathed Jondy's wound while Max was in the shower. 'You're probably lucky she kept her paws off of Logan." 

"Logan was always safe from me." Jondy winced from her seat on Logan's coffee table. "It's a sister thing. When I broke in here, I found Logan staring at a photo of Max. I pretty much worked out for myself, he was off limits." 

Max walked out of the bathroom wearing Logan's bathrobe, her hair wrapped up in a towel. "You've had quite a couple of nights, haven't you?" She sat down beside Original Cindy, her face serious as she watched Jondy. "There's something I have to tell you about Zack." 

"It's his heart that beats in your chest." Jondy smiled at Max's surprise. "We all pretty much figured that out when Zack didn't come back and I spotted you walking around. Logan told us what injuries he saw." She reached out and squeezed her sister's hand. "Zack wouldn't have had it any other way. We know that." 

Max smiled at her sister through her tears. "I'd hug you but at this point it would probably not be a good thing." 

"Rain check?" Jondy giggled. 

"Girl, I still can't believe you climbed up the side of this building with this hole in your side." Original Cindy shook her head. "Talk about girl power." 

"Max!" Logan came bursting through the front door with the others close behind him. He halted to a stop at the sight of Jondy sitting on his coffee table being tended to by Original Cindy. "Everyone alright." He looked over at Max wrapped up in his bathrobe. At that moment he had never seen anything so beautiful. 

Max nodded as she stood and walked over to Logan. Her memories weren't even close to how good the real thing looked to her. 'Nothing that can't be fixed." 

Logan reached out and touched Max's face to reassure himself she was real. "God, I've missed you." He pulled her gently into her arms. 

Original Cindy jerked her head towards the door. Silently Krit moved forward and picked up Jondy, while Syl grabbed her coat and along with Bling they all headed for the door. 

Max looked over at the door when she heard it click shut. "Was it something we said?" 

Logan looked over his shoulder and chuckled. "Subtle aren't they." He kissed the top of her head. "Come on. I'll get you something to eat." He stopped when she held onto his hand and didn't move. "Aren't you hungry?" He frowned. She was usually starving after events like they had, had tonight. 

Max smiled at him. "Starving." She took a step closer, placing her hands either side of his face and gently pulled him down to her level. "I missed you too." She kissed him. 

Logan carefully pulled her closer and deepened their kiss. It seemed like a lifetime since they had been this close. This time he was never letting go. 

_The End_


	2. Demons From the Past

**"Demons From the Past "**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

An Edward look-a-like and Lydecker bring Manticore too close for comfort for Max and Jondy.

**Timeframe:**

Occurs after "And Jesus Brought a Cassarole".

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

Seattle at night: it could look so bleak and despairing and other times so full of hope. Max had missed her nightly view from up here, but she hadn't been strong enough to climb up this far until now. 

"I thought you'd be up here." Logan sat down beside her. "You sure you're up to this amount of exercise." He didn't want to smother her, but he couldn't help but be concerned. It had been a week since they had broken her out of Manticore. Max had basically slept the whole week away, waking only to get something to eat. 

"I'm fine." Max smiled at his concern. "Did you get hold of Jondy?" She had been so exhausted that she hadn't had a chance to catch up with her sister. She was worried that Jondy had headed back to Canada or San Francisco where Zack had found her. 

"Yeah." Logan nodded. "She's been staying at your place with Original Cindy. She's even got a job at the _Crash_." He chuckled when he remembered what Original Cindy had told him. "Apparently business has doubled since she started working there two days ago." 

Max laughed. "That's Jondy for you. Lydecker used to use her as the distraction." She caught the confused look on Logan's face. "You have a, let's say a tavern, completely surrounded with the enemy. One very pretty, but pale little girl comes stumbling out of the woods. Where is your attention going to be?" 

"On the little girl." Logan realized what Max's point was. "While the troops move in behind, catching the enemy off guard." 

Max nodded. "Jondy was always terrified of guns. The thought of having to compete in the field maneuvers just about made her yak, but she could attract the attention of everyone without trying. She also has a talent for the medical profession." 

"That would explain how she got herself up and moving around with a gunshot wound in her side." Logan shivered slightly. "I'm heading back down. You coming?" 

Max nodded. "In a minute." She just needed a few minutes alone. Everything had happened so fast. It seemed as though, one minute they were breaking into Manticore, then the next she was trapped there and then she was free again and asleep in Logan's bed, with him watching over her from a chair next to the bed. She needed time to catch up, not only with what had happened, but with her sister. 

Logan understood. He stood and headed back the way he had come up. "See you soon." As much as he wanted to stay with her and protect her, Logan knew Max could look after herself. If he tried to hang onto her too tight, she would only pull away. 

Donald Lydecker sat in a dark corner at the Crash. Watching the people laughing and playing pool around him, he realized that any of them could be one of his Manticore kids. He had heard from a friend, that there had been another attack on Manticore. One that had landed Renfro in the public hospital connected up to a respirator. Lydecker felt some sense of satisfaction knowing Tinga's murderer had gotten back some of what she had dealt out, but also a sense of regret at what seemed a lifetime of work destroyed. 

Out of all of the people in the bar, the one that seemed to keep catching his eye was the redhead behind the bar. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was about her that kept his attention. Sure, she was attractive. The fact that every male in the place couldn't keep his eyes off of her was proof of that. It was her face that looked vaguely familiar to him. She had a mixture of sweet innocence and strong determination written all over her. 

"Jess." The owner of the bar walked up behind her. "Do you think you could dazzle the guys at that table over there." He gestured to a table near the far wall. "They're getting a bit rowdy and upsetting the other customers." 

Jondy smiled at him. "Sure, Stan." She finished pouring a picture of beer for the customer she had been serving and then swung her legs over the bar. Each of the men at the table stopped mid-action as she approached them. Jondy could smell the reek of the combined alcohol they had consumed from where she stood. "Getting a bit rowdy, aren't you boys?" 

"Can I buy you a drink?" The invitation may have sounded more appealing if it hadn't come out as a slur. As it was, the goon that issued it, fell onto the floor and immediately fell asleep. 

One of his friends chuckled. "Tim never could hold his drink. What are you drinking?" His eyes roamed the length of her body. 

"Milk." Jondy waited for the men to stop sniggering before she leaned forward and looked the man straight in the eye. "What's the matter? Aren't you and your friends man enough to drink milk with me." 

"Stan! A round of milk over here." The man stood and held out the chair that Tim had been sitting in for her. "Take a load off." 

Jondy stepped over Tim who was still asleep on the floor and sat down. That was when she saw someone sitting in the dark corner. Focusing her vision, she got a clearer sight of who it was. Lydecker. How long had he been there? Logan had told her that he and the others had used Lydecker's help to get into Manticore the first time. There had been something about Logan's tone that told Jondy that he didn't trust Lydecker as far as he could throw him. 

Stan brought over a pitcher of milk and five glasses. "There you go. Hey, Jess. Logan phoned before. He says he's bringing Max down here. He seems to think she's going a bit stir crazy being stuck in his apartment all day." 

Jondy nodded. "Thanks, Stan. I expect she is. Max is more of an outdoors girl." She smiled at the owner as he cast her a protective look and walked away. "So I gather you all have names. I've met Tim here." She looked down at the floor as she started to pour the milk. 

"I'm Brock." He seemed to think he was some sort of leader to the group. Brock draped his arm around the back of Jondy's chair. "This is Thorne, Davis, and Jimmy." He leaned forward. "And you are just what I've been searching for." 

Jondy couldn't believe men were still using such cheesy lines. "No. I'm Jessica and so very much out of your league." She skulled down the milk and licked her lips. "Thanks for the drink, Brock. Gotta get back to work." 

Thorne, Davis, and Jimmy hid their grins behind their glasses of milk, which they quickly drank when Jondy looked over at them. Brock sat fuming, his arm still draped over the back of the chair which Jondy had just vacated. No woman had ever turned him down. 

"Thanks for bringing me down here, Logan." Max walked into the bar as Logan held the door open for her. "I seem to have spent all of my time sleeping." She had been upset that Krit and Sil had returned to Canada while she had been asleep. Logan said that they had stopped off to say goodbye but had not wished to wake her. 

"No problem." Logan glanced around the crowded bar. "You obviously needed the sleep. Jondy's still using the name Jessica. I guess she's playing it safe incase anyone from Manticore is still sniffing around." 

Max nodded. "Better to play it safe for a little while longer." She saw Original Cindy sitting with her Jam Pony co-workers. "Come on. Jondy will find us." 

Logan smiled to himself. This was the Max he knew and loved, the one with the take-charge attitude. Max's friends all hugged her, a mixture of concern and relief that she was alright written over their faces. They were a good bunch. Every one of them went out of their way to make Logan feel as though he was part of the group. 

"So when are you coming back to Jam Pony?" Sketchy leaned closer. "I think even Normal misses you." 

Max chuckled. "I'll have to consult my Doctor." She looked up as Jondy put a pitcher of beer and two glasses of milk down on the table. "What do ya say, Doc?" She pushed one of the glasses of milk over to Logan. 

"I'd be happier if you took a couple more days off." Jondy picked up an empty pitcher. "We'll see how you're feeling tomorrow." 

"You're a Doctor?" Sketchy was impressed. But then when it came to women, it didn't take much to impress Sketchy. 

Jondy winked at Max and Logan. "Let's just say I have the medical profession in my genes." She turned and headed back to the bar. 

Sketchy cast her an admiring glance. "Gotta love those jeans." He faked innocence when Original Cindy smacked him around the back of his head. "Ow. What did I say?" 

Logan walked over to the bar where Jondy was serving another customer. "You alright? You seemed sort of edgy." He had noticed her watching something in the shadows. 

"Lydecker's here. You have to excuse me if I'm not exactly thrilled to see him. He's been watching me all night." Jondy kept working. The last thing she wanted to do was let Lydecker know he had just found another of his X5 kids. 

"Do you think he knows who you are?" Logan figured Jondy was probably wise to keep her true identity from Lydecker. 

"No. I don't think so. That's the bonus of using a foreign accent for so long, it becomes like second nature." She grinned. "Problem is, I can't remember what my real accent sounds like." She frowned at something over Logan's shoulder. "Damn. Not again." She swung her long legs over the bar and squeezed past Logan. "Duty calls." 

Logan looked over to see what was wrong. A fight had started in the back of the bar. He noticed Max had gone from her seat. Instinct told him, she had gone to help her sister. 

Brock swung his arm back, a broken bottle in his hand. "You think it's so funny? How about I cut you another smile." 

Davis smashed the top of another beer bottle and took a similar stance. "Bring it on, Loser. You know why Red over there knocked you back? Because she has taste." 

As the two men charged at each other, Max and Jondy stepped in grabbing an arm on one man each. "You're over the limit." They spoke and moved as one. The cracking of breaking wrists seemed so loud as both women bent the men's wrists backwards disarming them of their broken bottles. "Time to leave." The crowd around them, all hit the floor as the men went flying out the window. 

"Good job I made so much in tips tonight." Jondy picked up the broken bottles off of the floor. "That's the second window I've had to have repaired this week." 

Max frowned at her sister. "But you've only been working here three nights." She sat down at the bar. This was as good a time as any to catch up. "So how long were you planning to stay." 

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. I have a friend looking after my place in San Francisco, so there's no great hurry. He knows the situation." 

Max raised an eyebrow. "He? Situation? You have a he in San Francisco and you came here in heat and jumped a guy called Edward. What am I missing?" 

Jondy rolled her eyes. "It's not what you think. Devon is gay for one thing. I came out to Seattle about four months ago to try and catch up with you. Zack told me where you were." Her eyes sparkled teasingly. "Never told me about Logan, though." Jondy had always known that Zack cared about Max in more than a brother cares about his sister way. "Anyway, by the time I got here I was in heat and got distracted." 

"By Edward. The same guy you put in the hospital." Max knew there had to be more to Jondy's story. Her sister would never just not contact her without good reason. 

"Yeah, that's him." Jondy kept working as she talked. "So there's Edward snoring his head off and me wondering what the hell I was thinking, you know the drill." She waited for Max to nod before she continued. "Then I hear my phone beep and it's Devon texting me. So I phoned Devon and he had just seen a message come across his television with a warning for any X5s. So I left, didn't even say good by to Edward and the rest is history." 

Max nodded. "Well that explains everything. Zack said that you lived next to the Golden Gate Bridge." 

Jondy smiled. "It's a beautiful view from the top. You'll have to come visit me when it's safe enough to go back." 

"Sounds good." Max couldn't believe it had been so long since they had escaped from Manticore as children. "What time do you finish?" 

"Not for a few hours. Why? Do you want your bed back?" Jondy laughed. Neither of them slept unless injured or ill. 

Max looked over at Logan, who was giving her the space she needed and chatting with Herbal Thought. "I think I'll be able to stay put at Logan's place for a little longer. I'm sure he'll tell me if he gets fed up of me." 

Jondy struggled to hold back a smile. "Max, I've seen that look that Logan has on his face every time he looks at you, on many men. He's not going to get fed up of you anytime soon." 

Max smiled to herself. "I guess. I see Lydecker's hiding in the shadows. He been there all night?" 

Jondy nodded. "Most of it. You should have seen his face when you and Logan walked in. First time I ever saw him look as though he was going to pass out." 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "Probably thought he had seen a ghost." She rose from the bar stool. "I'll catch you after work. I think I'll take advantage of Logan's king size bed." 

"And where will Logan be?" Jondy's face was the picture of wide-eyed innocence, which Max knew she was faking. 

v "Well, I thought I might take advantage of him as well." Max grinned mischievously. "What do you think my chances are?" 

Jondy laughed. "I'd say incredibly good." She waved goodbye as Max walked off with Logan beside her. 

Mathew ran down the darkened alley. He didn't know why he was being followed, but he had a feeling it had something to do with his brother, Edward. All of his troubles had started the day after his twin brother had been killed in a hospital of all places. His apartment had been broken into and ransacked. His car blew up in the car park minutes before he got into it and now he was being followed. He hadn't had a decent night's sleep since this had all started. Mathew looked around his surroundings. He needed a place to hide so that he could get his breath, then he saw the bar. It was dark, a perfect place to hide. Checking the way was clear, he ran into the bar and found himself a dark corner. The bar was so full nobody even gave him a second glance. Letting out a sigh of relief, Mathew closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. 

Logan closed the door behind him. "Did you find out what you wanted to know from your sister? You two were talking for quite a while." He sat down beside Max on the sofa. 

Max pondered his question for a moment. "Not really. I guess I got a quick summary of the last few months. It's a bit hard to talk when Jondy's trying to serve customers at the same time." 

"I thought you women could multi task and parallel process like there's no tomorrow," Logan teased. "So I'm guessing Jondy's going to be staying at your place for a while." 

Max nodded. "Think you can put up with me a little longer? I'll even let you have your bed back." She smiled. 

"You keep the bed, we'll work something out." Logan eyed her suspiciously as she edged closer. "You're feeling much better, aren't you?" 

Max looked Logan straight in the eye. "Actually I think I had better get to bed, I told Jondy I'd catch her after work, so I've got a few hours to kill." She crawled into his lap. "What to do, what to do." 

Logan pushed her hair out of her face. "Are you sure you're up to this." Much as Logan would have like to jump her, there on the sofa, Max had been recovering from major surgery. 

Max started nibbling her way up Logan's neck. "I got my Doctor's clearance and everything." She impatiently pulled his jacket off and tossed it on the ground. "Why? You want to diagnose me?" 

Logan chuckled as he followed her lead and removed her jacket. "That would involve extensive testing and we only have a few hours before Jondy finishes work." 

Max nodded with mock seriousness. "You're right. Better get started." 

A few minutes later there was a trail of clothes leading to Logan's closed bedroom door. Bling walked into the apartment, took one look at the trail of clothes, smiled, turned and walked back out of the door. "Max must have fully recovered," he chuckled to himself and pushed the down button on the lift. 

"Mister." Mathew could vaguely make out the husky feminine voice through his sleep. "Mister. It's time to go home. I have to lock up." Mathew suddenly realized where he was and woke up with a start. Looking up to see where the voice had come from, he saw the bluest eyes he had ever seen. 

"I'm sorry. I hadn't meant to be here so long." The woman in front of him took a step backwards, uncertainty written all over her face. Mathew realized he must look terrible but he wasn't sure what he had done to unsettle this woman. "What's wrong?" 

"Edward?" Jondy took another step backwards. "How the hell could you still be alive?" 

Mathew rolled his eyes. "I'm not Edward. I'm Mathew, his brother. Who are you? One of the many women he slept with once and then dumped." He took in the view before him, trying not to be too obvious. This woman was way out of his brother's league. Although she was dressed in black jeans and a blue man's shirt knotted at her waist, she had a sense of class abut her. 

Jondy looked him up and down, not completely convinced. "I didn't stick around long enough to be dumped." She crossed her arms in front of her. "Brother or not, you still have to leave." 

Mathew nodded and stood up. As he headed for the door he saw the woman reach up to grab her jacket. The movement caused her shirt to ride up slightly to display her pale skin and a scar on her side. It looked very new as it was a red contrast against her white skin. "What happened?" 

Jondy gestured to the door and locked it after them both. "Your brother shot me." She pulled her jacket on. She looked at her watch. Jondy seriously doubted Logan and Max would remember to meet her. "Well, nice meeting you, good night." She turned and started to walk away. 

The gunfire was deafening in the silent street. Mathew and Jondy both hit the ground as bullets bounced off the building behind them. It took Jondy seconds to realize the bullets weren't aimed at her. Looking up into the buildings around them, Jondy recognized the uniforms of the Manticore soldiers. She groaned. "I just know that I'm going to regret this." Crouching in a nearby doorway she sprung towards Matthew and pulled him behind a car. "So what sort of deal did you make with Manticore?" 

Mathew looked over his shoulder at her, trying not to focus on how close she was to him. "Who the hell is Manticore?" Every time he took a breath he could smell her perfume. "How the hell did you move so fast?" 

Jondy didn't get a chance to answer his questions as a car came screaming down the road and stopped right in front of them. The door flew open. "Get in!" Jondy came face to face with Lydecker. "Now!" 

Jondy nodded to Mathew and scrambled into the car behind him. "Go!" The car went screaming into the night. It made her skin turn cold just being in the same car as Lydecker. 

Lydecker turned to Jondy as he steered the car around the corner. "Want to tell me what that was all about?" 

Jondy arched her eyebrow. "If I knew, I wouldn't be sitting in a car with you. I'd be fixing the problem. Besides, they weren't firing at me. Why don't you ask him the question." She gestured over her shoulder at Mathew. 

"I don't know." Mathew ran his hand through his dark hair. "Things just started happening about a week ago." 

Lydecker pulled the car over and turned to face Mathew. "What sort of things…" He still couldn't make out which one of his kids the redhead was, but he knew for sure now, she was definitely an X5. 

Mathew shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. Like my place getting trashed, like my car blowing up, like people shooting at me." 

Lydecker thought about the information he had just been given. "What happened a week ago?" He turned back to Jondy. "And where do you fit in?" 

"Hey, I just pour the drinks." Jondy opened the car door and got out. "By the way, his brother died a week ago." She didn't wait for a response; she just started walking down the road. 

Mathew watched her for a moment. "She's right. It all started when Edward was killed." He glanced over at Lydecker. "No offence, but I think I'll stick with her." He climbed out of the car and followed Jondy. 

Lydecker grinned to himself. "You're probably safer with her." Suddenly he realized which one of his kids she was. "Jondy. Some things never change. You're still a distraction." He chuckled to himself as he turned the car around. Maybe there were still a few people he could get information out of. 

Logan woke to hear the sound of running water. "Max?" He was starting to wonder if last night was a dream. 

"Yeah." Her voice came drifting out of the bathroom. 

"You alright?" Logan was wondering if there would ever come a time when he wouldn't worry about her, if he couldn't see her. 

"I'm fine." Max turned the water off in the shower and walked back into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around her hair and dressed in Logan's bathrobe. "What about you?" 

Logan nodded. "I'm fine." He frowned. "What's that smell?" He put on the spare robe that Max handed him and eased himself into the wheelchair. He reached out and tugged on Max's hand so that she would bend down to his level. "By the way, Good Morning." He kissed her lightly on the lips. 

Max beamed. "Good Morning." She pushed his wheelchair lightly. "Come on. Let's find out what that smell is and then you can feed me." 

The two of them moved into the kitchen. They were more than a little surprised to see Jondy, Bling, Original Cindy and some complete stranger in Logan's kitchen making breakfast. 

Original Cindy nudged Jondy. "These two must have been too busy to hear the break in last night. Nothing stolen, but what's with all of those clothes Bling found on the floor?" 

Jondy struggled not to laugh as she handed Max a glass of milk. "Probably that phantom love bugler we keep hearing so much about. You know, leaves a trail of clothes to the bedroom ..." 

"And a huge smile on the victims faces," Bling chimed in. "Did you two play cops and robbers last night?" 

"More like doctors and nurses, I think." Original Cindy handed Logan a plate heaped with food. "Original Cindy has been diagnosed before." 

Logan rolled his eyes at their teasing. He looked over at Mathew. "Do we know you? You look sort of familiar." 

Jondy sipped a glass of milk. "Think of him in a hospital bed and me in a nurse's uniform." 

Logan face registered his shock. "Edward? I thought the hover drone killed him." 

Jondy nodded. "It did. This is his twin brother Mathew. It seems Manticore didn't know Edward had a twin anymore than we did, cause they were using him for target practice last night." 

Max looked Mathew up and down. "And he's here, why?" She couldn't see what Jondy had seen in his brother if they were identical twins. There was nothing outstanding about him. 

"He followed me home after I rescued him and we had a close encounter of the Lydecker kind. He drove us out of harm's way." Jondy wasn't exactly impressed that he was still around either. 

Mathew watched the people around him. "Are you telling me, these people want to kill me because I look like my brother? What did he do? Sleep with somebody's wife?" 

"He tried to sell Jessica here off to the highest bidder and they didn't want to pay." Logan wasn't any happier about Mathew being there than the women were. 

Max glanced over at Logan. "You think Manticore want Mathew dead because they think he's Edward?" She turned to Jondy. "Just how much alike is he to his brother?" 

Jondy flicked her hair over her shoulder with her hand. "I thought he was Edward. He even wears the same aftershave. Talk about demons from the past." Mathew was making her nervous just being in the same room, but she hadn't known what else to do with him. She couldn't just leave him the streets to be killed. 

Bling shook his head. "I don't think Manticore assumes Mathew is Edward. It's more likely they're tying up loose ends and making sure Edward didn't tell anyone about the deal he made. They probably assume with the two of you being twins, that you were close." 

Mathew shook his head. "We barely spoke. No offence." He turned to Jondy. "But what's so special about you? Why would somebody kill to get you?" Mathew had to admit to himself that he could barely keep his eyes off of her, but he couldn't imagine why anyone would pay to get her or kill for her. "You're not a whore are you?" 

Every face in the room threw Mathew a dirty look. Jondy nudged Max. "That's one I've never been asked before." 

Max shook her head. "Can't say I've had that particular question aimed at me either." 

Logan and Bling looked as though they could happily throttle Mathew where he sat. Logan eased himself back into his wheelchair. "If Manticore has relocated, which they'd have had to after the damage we did last week: Where would they have gone? Better yet, where is the hover drone coming from?" 

Original Cindy frowned. "You think that they're coming from two different places?" 

Max nodded. "They did before." She looked over at Jondy. "You up for a trip down town?" 

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, why not. I don't have to be at work for a while yet." 

Max's eyes widened. "I was supposed to meet you after work last night." She turned to Logan. "We forgot." 

Original Cindy grinned. "You two got busy and lost track of the time? Original Cindy remembers what that's like." Her grin widened when Logan and Max started to blush. "That good, huh?" 

Max struggled not to smile. "I'd better go and get dressed." She started walking towards Logan's room, picking her clothes up from where she had left them the previous night. 

"Yeah. Me, too." Logan started to follow Max. 

"Oh no, you don't." Jondy grabbed hold of Logan's chair. "I only have seven hours before I have to go to work." She leaned over his shoulder, her long hair draping down the side of her face. "I get the feeling if you two get into a room alone, we'll never find out where the hover drone is coming from." 

Logan turned his head slightly, so he could see Jondy and chuckled. "Busted. You going to leave Mathew here?" 

Jondy stood up straight. "Would you mind? Can't exactly take him with us. He'd be like a sitting duck." 

Logan nodded. "Sure. No problem. I'll see what I can find out this end." 

Original Cindy picked up her backpack. "I'd better blaze before Normal tries to fire me again. I'll swing by and pick Mathew up after work." She slapped Logan on the back as she walked past. "I think you have enough house guests at the moment." She waved goodbye without turning back. "Later." 

Max came back from getting changed. "Let's go. We can start with the place they were keeping the last hover drone." She shrugged her shoulders. "Failing that, we can try where they were keeping Tinga." She waited for Jondy to nod her agreement and then bent down and kissed Logan quickly. "See ya later." 

"Be careful," he called after the two women, but they were already out the door. Logan watched Mathew pace around his kitchen. "So. How are we going to convince Manticore that you're not Edward and don't know what he's done?" 

Mathew stopped pacing. "I'm up for any suggestions." He looked over at the front door. "Hey, what can you tell me about Jessica?" He saw Bling and Logan roll their eyes. "What?" 

Lydecker watched the Manticore soldiers going through the motions around the special operations building where Tinga had been kept. Manticore was so predictable--trying to rebuild what his kids had so matriculately destroyed. He smiled to himself. It would never be as good as the original. After all, they didn't have him. Several of the doctors that had been involved in the early stages had been assassinated. Renfro was still hooked up to machines and monitors in the public hospital. Although he had heard she was still issuing orders from her hospital bed, Lydecker seriously doubted she had a say in the operations happening before him now. 

"Wishing you could go and play with the other monsters?" Lydecker turned to find Max and Jondy standing behind him. "What? Surprised to see me? I just bet you are." Max's eyes shot daggers at him. Logan had told her that Lydecker had hesitated when it had come to blowing the DNA lab. 

Lydecker ignored her verbal jabs and turned back to watch the movements around the special operations building. "They're trying to rebuild. They must be keeping the X7s in there somewhere. Can't understand how they got the funding." He shook his head in disbelief. 

Max let out a short sharp laugh. "Probably thought it was worth spending the money to keep their science experiment going." 

Lydecker shook his head again. "With Manticore getting attacked twice by the X5's, they wouldn't want to risk the possibility of loosing the X7's in a third attack." He glanced over his shoulder. "By the way, nice accent, Jondy." He could sense the young woman flinch behind him. "How did the two of you find your way back here?" This place could only hold bad memories for Max, he knew that. He could see that night so clearly--Max sitting in a pool of liquid holding Tinga in her arms. 

"We followed that." Max was looking up at the sky, where a hover drone floated above them. 

Jondy started to back away, pulling Max with her. "Time to go. Now!" The words barely left her mouth before the hover drone started firing at Lydecker. 

"Looks like your friends at Manticore aren't too happy to see you." Max grabbed Lydecker by the collar of his jacket and tossed him into his nearby car. She threw the gun off of the back seat to Jondy, who was still outside the car. "Aim for the red light." She jumped into the driver's seat and started the car. 

Just as Jondy fired off a shot, so did the hover drone. Jondy leapt out of the way, but caught a bullet in the shoulder. The hover drone wasn't as lucky. Jondy's shot was spot on. The machine hit the ground right in front of the car. Jondy pulled herself into the backseat of the car. "Go!" 

Max shoved the gear into reverse and floored the gas pedal. Once they were a decent distance away she slammed the gear into first and drove towards Logan's apartment. The exploding hover drone could be felt through the whole car. "Jondy, how bad's your arm?" 

Jondy pushed the collar of her shirt aside slightly and peered underneath. "Not bad. I should be able to patch it up at Logan's." 

Max pulled the car over to the side of the road. "We'll walk from here." She had no desire to let Lydecker know where Logan lived. "As always, it's been a slice of life." She mockingly saluted Lydecker as she climbed out of the car. 

Donald Lydecker knew his 'kids' well enough to know that even if he followed them, they would loose him in some alley. He had taught them well. Besides, he knew where he could contact them. The bar they had all been at last night. 

Logan was so used to Max picking the lock and letting herself in, that he didn't even look up when the two women walked back into his apartment. "Find anything?" His eyes locked onto his computer as his fingers rapidly hit the keys on the keyboard. 

"Yeah." Max sat down on the desk next to Logan's computer. "We found Lydecker sniffing around the place Manticore were keeping Tinga. Jondy even did some skeet shooting." She giggled at the confused look on Logan's face. "She got rid of the hover drone that's been shooting up the place." 

"Are you both alright?" Logan turned his chair so that he could see both Jondy and Max. It was then he saw the blood on the arm of the shirt Jondy was wearing. "Is that bad?" Jondy shook his head. "No. It's just a scratch. I'm going to need to borrow another shirt, though." 

"Mathew! Can you get the first aid kit out of the bathroom and a clean shirt from my wardrobe." Logan motioned for Jondy to sit down so that he could get a look at her arm. "Are you alright to take off this shirt?" 

Jondy stifled a smile. "Of course." She unknotted the shirt and carefully pulled the shirt over her head to reveal the singlet top she was wearing underneath. "I really should send for some of my clothes, but I didn't want to risk putting Devon in danger." 

"So Devon's your boyfriend?" Mathew tried to sound casual as he walked into the room with the first aid kit and a clean shirt. He was surprised to see the bloodied mess that Jondy's arm was in. "So, do you get shot a lot?" 

Max took the first aid kit off of Mathew. "It's beginning to look that way." She started to clean up Jondy's arm. "You know, if you keep this up, Jondy, we'll be able to play dot to dot with your scars." 

Logan handed Max a dressing. "I thought that you two would heal fully and not scar. Who is Devon?" He winced at the sight of Jondy's wound. 

"A gay friend of mine." Jondy watched Max dress the wound. "It's really not as bad as it looks. I seriously doubt it will leave a scar." She slipped the shirt that Logan handed her on and knotted it at the waist. "I'd better get to work. See you later." She walked out of the apartment as though nothing had happened. 

"Shouldn't someone go with her." Mathew was still staring in the direction that Jondy had gone in. "I mean she could go into shock or something." 

Logan shook his head. "You haven't figured out yet that she's not like regular girls, have you." He could see Max trying to hide a smile out of the corner of his eye. "Didn't you notice that she's sort of different?" 

Mathew shrugged his shoulders. "I'm still trying to work out why someone of her class would ever give my brother the time of day, let alone sleep with him." 

Max heard Original Cindy knocking on the door. "Oh, Jondy doesn't sleep." She stood and went to answer the door. "Looks as though you're on the move again. Original Cindy's here to pick you up." 

Mathew glanced over to Logan. "I didn't mean sleep in the sense of..." 

"She's teasing you." Logan wheeled himself back over to his computer desk. Giving Original Cindy a quick wave hello, he went back to work on his computer. 

"Are you sure you want to take Mathew back to our crib?" Max eyed Mathew dubiously. "He keeps eyeing up Jondy." 

Mathew was confused. "Who's Jondy?" 

Logan looked briefly over his shoulder. "Jessica is Jondy. Don't try anything with her. She doesn't need the trouble." 

Original Cindy huffed impatiently. "Are you ready to go?" She nudged Max. "Don't worry, Boo. I've got sister girl's back" 

"Thanks." Max stood aside to let Mathew and Original Cindy out the door. "Hey, can you tap back into that Chinese satellite that you tapped into when Zack and I tried to get Tinga back." 

Logan nodded. "Sure. Is that where Manticore is operating out of?" Max nodded. "You and Jondy going to break in there tonight?" 

Max stood behind him. Bending over enough to rest her chin on Logan's shoulder, she watched the activity on the screen in front of them. "No. They're gonna expect that. Best we leave it until tomorrow. With that hover drone out of action, they'll have to double the troops." 

"So you want me to keep an eye on them, why?" Logan turned his head slightly so that he could see her. 

"Lydecker told us, if we blew up the DNA lab, Manticore's big wigs would pull funding and close the operation down. That possibility would have doubled when Jondy, Krit and Sil blew the power grid and generator." Max chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. 

Logan could see where Max's thought process was heading. "So why are they still operating? Unless the Manticore big wigs don't know what's going on?" 

Max smiled at him. "You read my mind. Is there any way you can tape this so that Jondy and I can watch it tomorrow?" She smiled sexily at Logan. "I'd hate to miss something important." 

Logan matched her look with one of his own. "I think that I can manage that. Why don't you go and see if our friends left us something for dinner while I set this up." 

"Okay." Max headed for the kitchen. Opening up the fridge she saw that their friends had left them enough food to last the week. "Jackpot." 

Logan wheeled his chair into the kitchen behind her. He looked in amazement at his fully stocked fridge. "How long were they all in here?" 

Max burst out laughing. "They could have been here all night. I don't think we would have noticed." 

Logan joined her laughter. "You're right." He pulled Max into his lap. "I wonder how long it would take them to stock up the wine." 

Max raised an eyebrow. "Only one way to find out." 

Bling leaned on the bar and waited for Jondy to make her way up to his end of the bar. "So, what's the plan with Mathew?" 

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "Try to stop him from being shot. That's about all I've got for the moment." She placed two bottles of wine on the counter in front of him. "Can you drop these off at Logan's for me. I figure I owe him at least that considering I keep using his shirts." 

Bling nodded. "Sure. I'm positive they won't even hear me go into the apartment." Jondy flashed him a smile. "So did you and Max find anything out while you were looking for that hover drone?" 

"Yes. Hover drones are great for target practice." She poured a glass of water and put a couple of ice cubes in the glass. "Aren't they?" Jondy pushed the glass over to someone beside Bling. 

From the icy expression on Jondy's face, Bling could tell without looking that Donald Lydecker was sitting beside him. "So there's one less hover drone patrolling the city. That's not necessarily a bad thing." Bling remained facing Jondy. 

Lydecker took a sip of the water. "Of that particular modified model, I couldn't agree more. Let's just hope Manticore didn't modify any others." He leaned forward slightly. "Let your sister know Renfro was released from hospital today. She's still connected to a load of machines, but it's my guess she's still giving out the orders." He picked up his glass and walked over to a table in the corner. 

Bling could see the muscles in Jondy's face relax when Lydecker moved away. "Still don't trust him, do you? Even though his life is on the line." 

Jondy shook her head, her red mane cascading over her shoulders. "It's a bit hard to trust someone who stood aside and watched while experiments were performed on you. Even if his ass is on the line, Bling..." She looked him straight in the eye. "He's still the same person that wanted to put myself and my family back in a cage. Leopards don't change their spots and neither do animals like him." With that she turned and walked down the other end of the bar. 

Bling watched Jondy serve the customers down the other end of the bar for a few minutes. No way should anyone try to keep someone like her in a cage. Waving good bye he grabbed the bottles of wine and headed for home. 

Jondy moved silently into the apartment, careful not to wake Original Cindy or Mathew. Pulling off her jacket, she tossed it onto the sofa and sat down beside it. Kicking her shoes off, she pulled her legs up. She hugged her knees, rocking back and forth slightly. Running the events of the day through her head, she tried to fit all the pieces together. Nothing made sense at the moment. She heard somebody moving behind her. "What are you doing up at this hour." She didn't have to turn around to know Mathew was standing behind her. 

Mathew moved Jondy's jacket so that he could sit beside her. "I was waiting for you to come in." He saw the look of suspicion cross her face. "I was thinking, is there some way that we can let these Manticore people know that I'm not Edward. You know, one where none of us get shot." 

Jondy thought about it for a moment and then shook her head. "I don't know right now, Mathew. The people at Manticore tend to shoot first and ask questions later. 

Mathew nodded that he understood. "It was just a thought. Anyway, thanks for saving my butt. My brother didn't exactly give you any reason to help our family out." He lent forward and kissed her on the cheek. As he pulled away he made the mistake of looking into Jondy's big blue eyes. There was such uncertainty in those eyes. As Mathew lent forward again, he felt someone grab hold of the collar of his shirt, stopping him. 

"Oh no you don't." Original Cindy's voice echoed in the quiet room. "You leave sister girl alone. She's already had enough trouble from your family." She looked over at Jondy who was struggling not to laugh at the shocked expression on Mathew's face. "You eaten yet, Boo?" Jondy shook her head. "I thought not. I saved you some dinner." 

"Thanks." Jondy swung her legs over the arm of the sofa and pushed herself over. "You'd better let him go. I don't think he'll try anything else tonight." 

Max rewound the tape that Logan had set recording the previous night while she waited for Jondy to arrive. Logan was asleep in the bedroom so the whirring of the rewinding tape sounded so loud. Max heard the click of the front door opening. "Hey, Jondy. In here." A couple of seconds later her sister walked into the room. 

Jondy's face creased into a puzzled frown. "What are you rewinding?" Her expression changed into a teasing grin. "You and Logan didn't tape your activities last night, did you?" 

Max rolled her eyes. "No. Logan linked into a satellite and taped the actions of our friends at Manticore. Probably not ideal viewing over breakfast, but wanna watch anyway?" 

"Sure." Jondy sat crossed legged on the sofa. "Logan still asleep?" 

Max nodded as she handed Jondy a glass of milk and a bowl of cereal. "Yeah. I didn't want to disturb him. How are things going over at my crib?" 

Jondy took a sip of milk. "Oh the usual. Mathew thanked me for saving his butt, then tried to make a pass at me, which was halted by Original Cindy. Ate dinner, went for a walk. Nothing new." 

Max giggled. 'Nothing new for you anyway." She sat down beside Jondy and pushed a couple of buttons on the remote. Silently they both watched the screen in front of them. Max frowned. "What is wrong with this picture." 

Jondy was also frowning. The movements of the soldiers weren't typical. "They're trying to cover up that they're working out of that building. Which means..." 

"The committee doesn't know that Manticore is still operational." Max finished off for her. "Logan and I figured that out last night. How the hell are they getting the funding?" 

Jondy turned to face Max. "Lydecker said that Renfro is out of hospital. She's still connected up to a load of monitors, but that doesn't mean she can't sign off orders." 

Max followed Jondy's line of thinking. "Especially if she's falsifying the orders so that the committee thinks they're for something totally separate from Manticore." 

Logan walked into the room. He had heard the two women talking so had showered and changed and put on the exo-skeleton to give them more time together. "Morning." He kissed Max on the top of her head. "You two watching last night's tape?" He saw the two women nod out of the corner of his eye while he watched the screen. "They don't exactly look like the military type." 

Max nodded. "That's the general idea. Think you can break into Manticore's computer so we can take a peak at their supply records." 

Logan headed towards his computer. "I'm on it." 

Jondy remembered what Mathew had asked her last night and got an idea. "Hey, Logan. Mathew asked me if there was a way to let Manticore know he wasn't Edward without any of us getting shot at." 

Max was confused. "But it's not Manticore that's not in the know, it's the committee. The supplies Manticore are using are probably listed to another outlet anyway." 

Logan understood what Jondy was getting at. "So we can change the records and email a copy to the committee and bring them up to speed. They'll put an immediate stop to the funding and whoever has signed the orders in the first place." 

Jondy nudged Max. "This guy of yours is pretty damn smart." 

Max nodded. "He's pretty damn hot as well." 

Logan chuckled to himself. "Ladies, I'm still in the room." His fingers moved rapidly across the keys on the keyboard, his gaze fixed on the screen. "What exactly are we looking for?" 

Max stood behind him watching the data flash across the screen. "Anything signed off by Renfro. There." She pointed to group of orders. 

Jondy joined them. "Infirmary, kitchen, and safe house." She read off the supposed locations for delivery. "I don't think so." 

Logan looked up at Max. "Where do you want the location changed to?" 

Max scribbled down the waterfront address. "Here's the address. Look at the dates on these orders. She cleared them from her hospital bed." 

"I take it, Renfro's not a woman that takes defeat easily." Logan started changing the location addresses. "Unfortunately for her, neither are the two of you." 

"Two against one. I like those odds." Max grinned at her sister. 

Renfro sat up against the pillows on her bed. It still hurt to breathe, but she would not be taken down by a science experiment. "Can someone bring me my laptop." It even hurt to speak. 

A nurse hurried into the room carrying the laptop and an envelope. "This was just delivered for you." She handed over the envelope and set the laptop down on the bed. "I took the liberty of signing for it." 

Renfro ripped open the envelope and checked for anything that would tell her who the sender was. Apart from her address there was no markings on it. Frowning she started up her computer and reached into the envelope to pull out the contents. All that was in it was a computer disk. Pushing the disk into the hard drive she opened the files on the disk. Suddenly the screen was covered with an assortment of strange characters. "No!" She had inadvertedly put a virus onto her computer. Everything was gone. 

Outside the house Jondy and Max sat on the hood of Logan's car, while Logan spoke to someone on his mobile from inside the car. Renfro's scream could be heard from where they were all sitting. 

"Thank you for using Jam Pony couriers," Max spouted off brightly. 

The two women laughed at her joke and climbed into the car. Logan switched his phone off and started the car. "Are you two sure you don't want to take my car to go and see Charlie and Case?" 

Max shook her head, her face full of sorrow. She and Jondy had decided to travel to see Tinga's husband and son to let them know what had happened in person. "No. You might need it. Besides, we move quicker on foot." They could get past the sector police easier as well. 

Logan pulled the car over near the checkpoint on the outskirts of town. "Call me when you get there." He desperately wanted to go with them, but he knew that this was something Max felt she had to do herself. He was slightly reassured that she was taking Jondy with her. "Be careful." He watched the two women climb out of the car. 

Max waited for Jondy to get out of the car before leaning back in. "We will. Stay out of trouble." She kissed him goodbye and moved back out of the car, shutting the car door and waving as she and Jondy started on their way. 

Logan watched them until they ducked out of sight and then headed home. Thanks to his link into the satellite they had all witnessed the committee closing Manticore for good. Not wishing to risk Manticore finding another loophole, Max had suggested putting the computer virus onto Renfro's computer. 

Original Cindy has said that she would put up with Mathew for a couple more days just so that they could be sure that it would be safe for him to return home. 

Bling stood watching Logan stare out of the window into the dark. "Max just phoned. She and Jondy are staying with Charlie and Case. She said they'll be back in a couple of days." 

Logan nodded absentmindly. "They want to spend some time with their nephew. Try and make up for his mother not being able to be there." 

Bling chuckled at the depressed look on Logan's face. "Max will be back soon enough." 

Logan turned to look at his friend. 'I know. I just got her back and she's off with Jondy. I just wonder if this is how it's always going to be." 

Bling understood where Logan was coming from. "That's what you get for falling for a genetically engineered woman. Come on. I'll buy you a beer." 

_The End_


	3. A Spoonful of Sugar

**"A Spoonful Of Sugar"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Edward, Stan, Blake, Regis and Mathew however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

As Jondy helps Max get Logan back on his feet; a bounty hunter and an admirer are hot on Jondy's trail. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs after "And Jesus Brought a Cassarole".

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

You could have heard a pin drop as Blake watched the Seattle streets from a darkened alley. He wasn't even sure what he was watching for. He had lost track of Devon Saunders in San Francisco and his red headed friend had come to Seattle and then disappeared as well. Since the Pulse had hit, people had found new improved ways to just vanish, sometimes right under your nose. So Blake had backtracked to where the red head had last been seen. If anyone knew where she was, they weren't saying. He remembered an old school friend of his lived in a penthouse some where in Seattle. Word on the street was that the Cale family had hit hard times, so Blake couldn't help but wonder if Logan was still living in the same place. Only one way to find out. Blake cast the street one more glance before heading down the street. 

"Damn it." Logan threw the exo-skeleton on the polished wood floor in disgust. This was the second time in as many days that it had shorted out on him. It didn't help that Max hadn't gotten back yet. She had phoned him before she and Jondy had left to come back to Seattle. It was getting darker and darker outside and although Logan knew that Max and Jondy could take care of themselves, it didn't stop him worrying. 

Bling walked in the room to see what the racket was. Seeing the exo-skeleton on the floor, he realized it was only half the problem. 

"Max not back yet?" 

"No," Logan snapped. "They should have been back hours ago. Probably stopped off to do some shopping." He half-heartedly attempted a joke. 

Bling nodded as he picked the exo-skeleton up off of the floor. "There's someone here to see you. Says he's an old friend." 

Logan frowned as he wheeled himself towards the living room. "I didn't hear the door bell." 

Bling chuckled. "I think your mind was somewhere else." He headed for the door. "See you tomorrow. Tell Max I said hi." 

"Nice pad." Blake turned around and was surprised to see Logan in a wheelchair. "It's been a long time, Logan." 

"Yeah." Logan was slightly irritated by the look of shock on Blake's face. "A few things have changed. I'm guessing this isn't a social visit. What do you need?" 

Blake felt a twinge of guilt. He should have visited before now and not just when he wanted something. "I'm trying to track down someone. I lost her trail here in Seattle and thought you might be able to help." 

"Logan! You home?" Max's voice rang out as she came into view. She looked Blake up and down. "Sorry. I didn't know you'd have company." 

"Max, this is Blake, an old friend. Blake, this is Max." Logan did a quick introduction. He looked behind her. "Jondy go back to your place?" 

"No. I'm right here." Jondy appeared behind Max with an armful of groceries. "Here." She reached into the grocery bag and pulled out a couple of shirts and tossed them to Logan. "These should replace the ones I borrowed." She looked over at Blake. "What's he doing here?" 

"You two know each other?" Logan felt as if he had missed something. Then it dawned on him. "Jondy's the woman you've been looking for? Why?" It was never a good thing when someone was looking for an X5. 

"My employers want a friend of hers to honor his contract." Blake eyed Jondy up and down. By all rights, she should have stuck out in a crowd. So why had she been so hard to find. "Where's Devon Saunders?" 

Jondy laughed at him. "Why would I tell you? The South Africans don't have a signed contract. Therefore, there's nothing to honor. Devon would never work for those butchers." She turned and walked into the kitchen. 

"Now just wait a minute." Blake charged after her, but Logan blocked his way. "What do you think you're doing, Logan? She's hiding Devon Saunders. That guy took the money for the job and ran." 

Logan didn't budge. "First of all, do you have a copy of the signed contract or even a receipt for the payment to Devon Saunders?" When he got no comment from Blake he continued. "I didn't think so. Second," he pointed towards the kitchen where Jondy had gone. "She is like a sister to me, so back off. And third, do you have any idea what your employer does?" 

Blake looked smug. "They're in the medical business." 

Max snorted at his reply. "That's one way of putting it. They're out to create the perfect soldier. The last medical experiment that I came across was a criminal from death row with an implant in his head. Thing is, the implants gave them only a year to live." 

"Where's your proof?" Blake shot back at her. 

"Well, I'd take the defused implant that's still in my head out and show you, but it would probably kill me and I've already been dead once this year, so you'll just have to take my word." 

Blake crossed his arms across his chest. "Next you'll tell me that you can fly." Max shook her head. 

"No, but I can jump really high." She looked in the direction of the kitchen. "Jondy. What did you get us for dinner." A muffled reply came from the kitchen. "Ooh, that sounds good." She edged past Blake and headed for the kitchen. 

Blake turned to Logan. "I suppose you're going to tell me that one's like a sister to you as well." Logan glared at Blake. "You leave Max out of this. I think you had better go. I'd say it was nice to see you again, but considering all you've done since you got here is harass the women in my life, that would be big lie." 

Blake stood in front of Logan for a moment. "I'll be seeing you." He glanced in the general direction of the kitchen before turning and walking away. 

"Alright you two. Come on out here." Logan knew that he didn't have to raise his voice for the two women to hear him. 

Max and Jondy peered around the corner of the doorway--a look of pure innocence on both of their faces. They had found the banged up exo-skeleton and guessed that Logan wasn't in the best of moods. 

Logan decided to start out calmly. "How did your trip go?" He wheeled himself to the sofa and moved so that he was sitting on the sofa. Max sat down beside him and passed Logan a plate with a sandwich on it. 

"It was alright. Charlie said he had pretty much guessed something had happened to Tinga. He was grateful that we went and told him personally rather than just phoning. We had a hard time leaving. Case wouldn't let go of Jondy. We had to promise we'd go back and visit soon." 

Logan reached over and squeezed her hand. He looked over at Jondy who had curled up in an armchair. "You want to tell us what's going on with Devon? He's not even gay is he?" 

"Yes, he is." Jondy looked quite insulted at Logan's question. "He's the safest man to be near when I'm in heat cause he really doesn't want to have sex with me." 

Logan rolled his eyes. He knew she was trying to change the subject. "What's the deal with your friend, Devon. Hey, I just kicked an old friend out of my apartment for you. You could at least bring me up to speed." 

Jondy stared cautiously at Logan for a moment. "Devon is one of the top biochemists in the country. He's also the youngest. About a year ago he was approached by some South Africans who were interested in creating the perfect soldier." 

"Devon is also an expert in building DNA structures." Max took a bite of her sandwich. "Any of this sound familiar?" 

Logan nodded. "So the South Africans wanted to build another Manticore. Devon was the key to it being successful I take it." 

Jondy took a deep breath. "Here lies the problem. Devon had grown up with a certain genetically engineered redhead who had become like a sister to him. Devon knew all about Manticore and the experiments they performed. He was determined he wasn't going to be part of a clone of Manticore. So he turned them down. The South Africans offered him a whole heap of money and Devon still turned them down. So they started the scare tactics." 

Logan could barely believe what he was hearing. "So Devon turns to the one person he can trust, who's also an expert in disappearing." 

Max raised and lowered her eyebrows. "Manticore taught us well. Bet they never thought it would come back to bite them in the ass." 

Jondy continued, "When the South Africans couldn't locate Devon they hired a Bounty Hunter, your friend, Blake. The few people that would actually talk knew that he came to see me at the bar I worked at in San Francisco. Unfortunately for Blake, it appears I'm a rather hard person to give a description of. I got word someone was looking for me. Thought it might be Lydecker. Realized when Blake turned up that he was trying to find Devon. So I thought it might be a good time to go visit some family and the rest is history." 

Max groaned. "If it's not one group of sadists it's another." She leaned her head on Logan's shoulder. "How big an expert is Devon really?" 

"He stopped my seizers. I don't have to take Tryptophan anymore." Jondy still couldn't pick what sort of mood Logan was in. Logan ran his hand over his face. "I'll see if I can find some sort of background on the South Africans. Something tells me their agenda might be slightly different to Manticore, if only because they don't have the caliber of staff that they need." 

"We just got back and you wanna work?" Max couldn't believe Logan sometimes. His dedication to saving the world could get to be a bit much. 

"Max! Devon is having to hide out and Jondy is constantly being followed. I would have thought you would have jumped at the chance to help your own sister." Logan knew he didn't really have just cause to loose his temper. With the exo-skeleton not working properly, the look of shock on Blake's face, it was all of the little things getting to him. 

Max knew Logan wasn't really angry at her, but she couldn't help feeling a little hurt. "Fine. You go save the world. Again. But in case you haven't noticed, Jondy isn't that bothered with the whole situation, so why should I be." She got up and stormed out of the apartment. 

"It really can wait one night, Logan," Jondy spoke softly, not wishing to upset Logan further. "Devon is perfectly safe at the moment and I can quite easily lose Blake. I've done it before. Don't think I don't appreciate the help. I do. But not at the expense of you and Max." 

Logan grinned sheepishly. "Don't worry about me and Max. We do this all the time. I'll make it up to her tomorrow once we've both cooled down." 

Jondy stood and headed for his door. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow. Stan phoned while I was in the kitchen. Seems Harold called in sick, so it looks as though I'm working tonight." 

Logan watched her walk away. "Be careful. If I remember correctly, Blake is pretty determined. He won't give up too easily." 

Jondy waved goodbye. "Neither do I," she muttered under her breath. 

"So it's my first night back and he wants to work." Max paced back and forth angrily in front of Original Cindy. "The thing is, he's probably just feeling sorry for himself cause that damn exo-skeleton's broken." 

"But you've told him it doesn't matter to you about the wheelchair, right?" Original Cindy knew the drill with Logan and Max by now. She waited for her friend to nod. "But he's still sensitive about it. Have you still got his file that you stole from that Manticore doctor?" 

Max frowned. "Yeah. Why?" 

Original Cindy crossed her arms in front of her. "Well, we have a doctor in the house, maybe Jondy can come up with something." 

Max's face lit up. "And if she can't, Jondy knows somebody who probably can. Where is she, anyway? I thought she followed me out of Logan's." 

"You were in such a huff, you just assumed she followed you out of Logan's." Original Cindy replied. "Jondy phoned just before you got here. She got called into work." 

"Speaking of work." Max sat down beside her friend. "Do you think Normal will welcome me back tomorrow?" 

"Sure." Original Cindy grinned. "Especially when you hand over a note from your doctor." 

Stan chuckled as he watched Jessica walk towards the bar through the crowded room. The whole place seemed to come to a stop when she walked in. Men stopped to stare women turned green with envy. Jessica wasn't flashy. Her outfit was simple: black jeans, white top a short leather jacket, and black high heeled ankle boots. She always walked tall, head held high. 

"Thanks for coming in, Jess." Stan took her jacket that she past over to him and slipped it under the bar as Jessica eased herself over the bar. 

"No problem, Stan." Jondy started working one end of the bar while Stan took the other. 

"A couple of people came looking for you." Stan kept on the move as did Jondy. "One of them was that guy you found here a few nights ago." 

"Mathew?" She watched Stan nod. "Alright. I don't think that's anything to worry about. Who was the other one?" 

Stan shrugged his shoulders. "Didn't leave his name. Looked like some sort of military type. Said to tell you the South Africans are in town. Does that mean anything to you?" 

"Yeah. Thanks for the warning." Jondy continued working. 

The only sign that anything was wrong was the irritated look that crossed her face when Mathew came in. Mathew didn't seem to notice that Jondy wasn't exactly thrilled to see him. 

"So you're back." 

Jondy kept working. "It would appear so," she quipped. "Did you want a drink?" 

Mathew nodded. "Beer." He watched her pour his drink, desperate to keep her close by he attempted to continue the conversation. "Did you have a good trip?" 

"Yes." 

Jondy moved further down the bar and spotted Blake in the crowd. "Great. Just what I always wanted: a stalker." Jondy knew he wouldn't try anything in the crowded bar. He was just waiting to see if she led him to Devon. 

Mathew moved further down the bar. "So what time do you finish?" Mathew tried to spot what Jondy was watching in the crowd. 

Jondy frowned. "Why?" 

Mathew shrugged. "I thought I could walk you home? You know it's not safe out at night?" He grinned. He knew she could protect herself better than he would be able to. "Or you could walk me home." 

Jondy's frown changed to a 'You've got to be kidding me' look. "I don't think so. I prefer my own company. Thanks, anyway." 

"Is it really fair to judge me by my brother's actions." Mathew was constantly being compared to his brother and it was starting to wear thin. 

Jondy placed both palms on the bar and leaned towards him. "Did it ever occur to you that I'm just not interested. Apart from that, I don't expect to be in town for too much longer and the last thing I need is another one night stand, which by the way is all your brother was." With that, she turned and walked down the other end of the bar, her red hair flying around her like fingers of fire. 

Max waited for Jondy as she helped Stan lock up for the night. For a moment they walked silently side by side. "I need a favor. Actually, it's for Logan, but he doesn't know I'm even asking." Max felt awkward asking Jondy for a favor. 

Jondy waited for Max to continue, but all there was, was silence. 

"What is it Max?" This must be big for Max to be so hesitant. 

Max decided it would be best to tell Jondy the whole story. "Okay. Here we go. Logan got shot in the back not long after I first met him. Part of the bullet had to be left in his back, which is why he's in the wheelchair. The bullet gave him some trouble and he ended up back in the hospital where I gave him a blood transfusion cause the blood banks were tapped. What with our souped up blood in him, Logan got the use of his legs back for a little while." The words were coming out faster and faster. "But then he started rejecting my blood cells and he started loosing the use of his legs again. So Logan hooks up with Doctor Vertes, remember that witch?" Jondy nodded, so Max continued. "Who seemed to have some cure. But Lydecker killed her when she tried to turn Jace and her unborn baby over to him. So here's the thing, I still have Logan's file from Vertes office and I was wondering if you could look at it. You know, see if you can help Logan get the use of his legs back. Maybe if you can't help, your friend Devon can." 

Jondy hugged Max. "You know I'll help if I can. But can we loose the two guys following us first." 

Max grinned with relief. "Sure." 

Blake and Mathew walked into the alleyway at precisely the same time. 

"Okay. Where did they go?" Mathew looked for an open doorway or even some sort of alcove. There wasn't even a dumpster for the two women to hide behind. 

"Two women can't just disappear into thin air like that." Blake turned around in a full circle as if he expected them to be standing behind them. "Where the hell are they?" 

"Obviously they knew we were following them." Mathew looked at Blake. "Which one do you have the hots for?" 

Blake looked at Mathew as though he had gone mad. "Neither. I'm trying to track someone and the red head's my only lead. How well do you know them?" 

Mathew shook his head. "Not that well. They sort of saved my life. I'd like to get to know the red head better. Unfortunately, she had this brief thing with my twin brother and I don't think that she wants to make the same mistake twice." 

Blake was confused. "So you thought stalking her would make you more appealing to her. I don't think that usually works." 

Mathew frowned at him. "I'm not stalking Jessica. I was hoping to talk to her, but it looked like she and her sister were deep in discussion about something serious." 

He turned and walked away. He had a bad feeling about this guy. He wasn't about to mention that he would try and catch up with Jessica tomorrow morning at her apartment. 

"Jessica. So that's the name you're going by." Blake grinned. "Thanks, Pal. You just gave me another piece to the puzzle." Casting the alleyway one more look, he turned and headed back to his hotel room. 

"Well that was interesting." Max watched the whole scene from the roof top beside Jondy. "Looks as though Blake doesn't give up too easily. Good job Devon's in San Francisco. It'll make it harder for our friend to find him." 

Jondy arched her eyebrow. "Mathew knows where we live and didn't tell Blake. Why?" 

Max rolled her eyes. "Cause he wants you bad. He probably thinks Blake is competition for your affections." 

Jondy shook her head. "I don't think so, Max. I think he just covered for us." 

Max nudged her sister. "Come on. Let's go before either of them come back. I don't want to rush you, but I'd really like you to take a look at that file I was telling you about tonight." 

"Sure." Jondy was still trying to get her head around the fact that Mathew had just covered for them. Shaking her head as if to clear it, she followed Max. 

v Logan watched the rain hit the window panes. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. He couldn't shake the look of hurt on Max's face when he had chosen to work tonight. He didn't really blame her. It was after all her first night back. It wasn't as though he could concentrate at the moment anyway. Knowing Max and Jondy would still be awake, Logan grabbed his car keys and wheeled himself to the door. 

Max sat curled up on the sofa watching Jondy go through the file she had given her. "So. You think you can help Logan?" 

Jondy was sitting on the floor with pages of notes all around her. "Possibly. My question is: Why on earth would Logan go to a butcher like Vertes?" Jondy wrote some notes on a pad of paper beside her. "He had to know she was from Manticore." 

v Max shrugged her shoulders. "He did the research and decided she was the only one who could help him. She probably could have if she hadn't been out to save her own neck." 

Jondy chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. "I'd need to confer with Devon before we even try anything." She brushed her hair off of her face. "Not to mention the fact that Logan is going to have to agree to us playing scientist with him." 

Max nodded. "If he has a chance of walking again, I'm pretty sure he'll agree. Are you going to have trouble getting the supplies for the antidote?" 

Jondy shook her head. "Not if you help me. The biggest problem we have at the moment is Blake. Lydecker left a message for me at the bar. It turns out the South Africans are in town." 

Max raised an eyebrow. "I guess they're not satisfied with Blake's progress. How long has he been looking for Devon?" 

Jondy rubbed the back of her neck. "About eight months I guess. He nearly caught up with me when I got together with Edward, the first time. I managed to disappear right before his eyes. Gotta love the smog in Seattle." 

Max laughed. "Yeah, I guess so." She frowned as she heard something approaching the door. "Are you expecting visitors?" 

"No." Jondy started to gather up the pages of the file. "It's a bit late for company isn't it?" She glanced over at a clock. "Or should I say early?" She shoved the file under one of the cushion on the sofa. 

Max yanked open the door to the apartment. "Logan. What the hell are you doing here at this hour?" 

Logan peered over his glasses at Max as he wheeled himself past her into the apartment. "It's not as though either of you were asleep. I came to apologize. I didn't exactly welcome either of you back." 

Max rolled her eyes and shut the door. "You were too busy trying to save the world." She was still hurt that he would rather work than spend time with her. 

"I'm sorry." Logan could see Max was still annoyed with him. "If it makes you feel better, I couldn't get any work done cause I was too busy thinking about you." He winced when he realized how corny that sounded. 

"Really?" Max almost laughed at the expression on Logan's face. "I guess that at least gets you a cup of coffee." 

"Thanks." Logan was relieved. At least Max hadn't kicked him out. He saw Jondy watching him thoughtfully. "What?" Jondy waited until Max had gone into the kitchen. 

"Are you two always like this?" She saw the puzzled look on his face. "The whole you think more of your work than you do me argument." 

Logan scratched his head and looked at her sheepishly. "It's sort of a sore point with us. You've never had this sort of problem I take it." 

Jondy shook her head. "No. But then I've never been close enough to anyone for it to have been a problem. Devon's like a brother to me and apart from that the only guys I ever came close to, it was always a chemical imbalance not love." 

Logan cocked his head to one side. "I got the feeling there was something a bit different with Edward." 

Max came back in the room with a couple of cups of coffee. Jondy still had a cup of tea beside her, so Max hadn't bothered getting her another drink. 

"What was it about Edward anyway. If his brother is anything to go by, it wasn't his looks." She sat down beside Logan, who had moved onto the sofa while Jondy was still sitting on the floor. 

Jondy thought back to when she had met Edward. "He could actually make you feel really special. At least until he got what he wanted from you. When that happened, you just became disposable. You can't always go by looks, you know. Looks can fade." She self-consciously pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. 

Logan could see how it would be difficult for Jondy to trust men if that was how she had always been treated. It had taken him a while to break through the wall Max had built around herself. The same could be said about him as well. Logan still found it hard to let people in. 

"I know how that feels. I guess that's why I tend to hide behind my work." He looked over at Max. "The problem is when you spend so much time hiding, you forget the people that are the most important to you." He laughed uncomfortably. "I guess that sounds like some cheesy soap opera line." 

Jondy giggled. "Yeah, but I get the meaning behind it." She stood. "I'm going to go for a walk. You two probably need some time to talk." She headed for the door. 

Max stared down at the coffee cup in her hand. "So is that what you did while we were away? Work?" 

Logan shook his head. "No, actually I spent most of my time staring out of the window watching the rain outside waiting for you to come back." 

Max looked up at him. "So you waited for me to come back before you started working. What's up with the exo-skeleton?" She wasn't letting him off the hook easily. 

"It keeps shorting out. Look, I'm sorry about before. Just before you walked in, Blake had this look of pity on his face. I can't stand it when people look at me as though I can't do anything for myself. I guess I took it out on you. I really am sorry." 

Max begrudgingly gave in. "I pretty much figured it was something like that." She chewed nervously on her lip. "I sort of have some news for you, but I don't want you to get your hopes up." 

Logan's curiosity got the better of him. "What is it?" 

Max looked like a little girl caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Max wasn't sure what Logan's reaction was going to be to her news. "I showed Jondy the file that Vertes had on you." No reaction yet so she continued. "Jondy says that she'll have to go over a few things with Devon, but she thinks that she can probably pick up where Vertes left off." 

Logan knew that it wasn't important to Max whether he could walk or not. She had gone to the trouble for him. "I'm grateful for any help she can give me, but not if it's going to put her or Devon in danger." 

Max's eyes searched his face. "Jondy wouldn't endanger a friend. She was more concerned that you would feel like an experiment." 

Logan was touched that the two women thought so highly of him that they were willing to go to this much trouble. "I know that's not the case." He looked into her deep brown eyes. "I missed you." 

He leaned forward and lightly brushed her lips with his. She was like a drug for him. He couldn't get enough of her. He deepened their kiss, unable to believe how much he had missed her. Logan felt her arms go around him pulling him closer and he forgot where he was. 

Original Cindy eyed Jondy in the kitchen when she got up for work. "Logan stay the night?" She accepted the cup of coffee that Jondy handed her. 

Jondy chuckled. "What gave it away? The trail of clothes on the floor or the crashing and banging going on in Max's room." 

Original Cindy shook her head. "Watching those two trying to work out what's going on between them, just makes me glad I'm a Lesbian." She looked at her watch. "Much as I hate to disturb them, we're going to be late for work if Max doesn't get up soon." 

Jondy listened for a moment. "It's alright. Max is on the move. She'll be ready shortly." 

"Damn. With your hearing, you must have heard everything last night." Original Cindy really didn't envy Max or Jondy sometimes. 

"I went for a walk." Jondy smiled at the shocked expression on Original Cindy's face. "I only got back a few minutes ago." 

"Hey." Max quietly closed the bedroom door behind her. 

"You ready to go?" She glanced at Original Cindy, while she gobbled the slice of toast Jondy handed her. 

Original Cindy stood with her hands on her hips. "Didn't you forget something? Or do you have a supply of Logan's clothes in your room." 

"Oh, God!" Max quickly grabbed the clothes off of the floor and took them into her room. A few minutes later she returned. "Well, you could have ended up seeing a whole new side of Logan." She grinned mischievously at Jondy. 

Jondy clicked her fingers in front of her. "Damn. Missed out again. Better get going. I'll see you later." 

"See ya." Original Cindy and Max headed out to work. 

Jondy spread the contents of Logan's file out on the floor again. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, coffee cup in one hand, a pen in the other, she started jotting down some more notes. She could hear Logan moving around in the bedroom. From what she could tell from Vertes' notes, it looked as though the treatments were working, but very slowly. 

"Morning." Logan hadn't wished to disturb Jondy, but he had guessed she would have heard him moving around. "Is that my file?" 

Jondy nodded. "I'll get hold of Devon, see if he can add anything. I can't risk bringing him to Seattle, especially with the South African's here." 

Logan frowned. "They're still in Seattle? I would have thought they would have made a run for it after the first attack on Manticore." 

"They may have gone and come back." Jondy kept working. "Especially if Blake has told them he has a lead on Devon." 

"While you stay in Seattle, it keeps them further away from Devon. What does Devon have to say about you putting yourself in danger for him?" Logan was starting to feel as though the whole situation was getting totally out of hand. 

"He's not too happy about it, but he's not exactly in a position to debate it." Jondy stood and walked to the kitchen. She popped a couple of slices of bread in the toaster and poured a cup of coffee. "Besides, I know he would do the same for me. In fact, he has done the same for me." She buttered the toast and put it on a plate. Handing both the toast and coffee to Logan, Jondy went back to her seat on the floor. 

"Thanks." Logan sipped the coffee. "Much as I want to be back on my feet, I don't want either you or Devon putting yourself in danger." He knew it had been Max's idea for Jondy to look at his file, but he also knew that she would never forgive herself if she lost another sister. "Max doesn't need to loose anymore of her family." 

Jondy's eyes searched his face. "I'm going to need a secure line through to a mobile phone. Can you help me out?" When Logan nodded she continued. "I get the distinct impression that if your friend Blake had proof of what his employers really got up to, he might not be so eager to find Devon." 

Logan agreed. "I can probably help you with both of those things, but I need to get back to my place." He saw her look towards the door. "What's wrong?" 

"Mathew's here." Jondy groaned and gathered up the file and her notes and shoved them into the pocket on Logan's chair. "Better finish your breakfast, I'll go and grab a change of clothes." She opened the door and ran to Max's room. 

A few seconds later, Mathew appeared at the door. "Hi." He nodded to Logan. "Is Jessica home?" 

"Yeah. But we're sort of on our way out." Logan finished the last of his breakfast and took the cup and the plate into the kitchen. "Jondy! You ready?" 

"I'm ready." Jondy finished shoving some clothes into a shoulder bag and grabbed her jacket. "Let's go." She followed Logan out of the door and locked it behind her. She walked straight past Mathew without a word. No sense in giving him any encouragement. 

"You could have at least said hello to him." Logan mentioned as they made their way down the hallway. 

Jondy looked down at him, when they got to the lift. "Hello appears to mean 'take me I'm yours' in his language." 

Logan chuckled. "Are you telling me there's a downside to being a distraction," he mocked her. "And here was I thinking it was a gift constantly being the center of attention." 

Jondy took his comments as they were meant, as a joke. "Well, I'll swap places with you sometime and give you an insider's view point." She walked into the lift behind Logan and pushed the button for the ground floor. 

Max let herself into Logan's apartment. She figured that he would probably be working on his computer. Sure enough she found him so engrossed with what was on the screen that he hadn't heard her come in. She had been standing behind him a few minutes before he registered that she was there. 

"Hey. What's so fascinating." She bent down and gave him a quick kiss hello. Reading the information on the screen, she realized what Logan had tapped into. "You found the South Africans." 

"We thought we might be able change Blake's opinion on his employers if we had some proof." Logan printed the information he needed and added to a growing pile beside the computer. "I tracked down Blake's hotel so who can I get from Jam Pony to do a delivery." He scooped Max into his lap. 

Max tried to look thoughtful. "Well, let me see. You need someone who's absolutely clueless, so they won't be able to give any information away. Of course we could always send someone who nobody can understand, so even if they do give away important information, they won't realize it." Logan started kissing Max's neck. "So that leaves us with Sketchy or Herbal." Max giggled. "Want me to make the call?" 

"Jondy's using the phone at the moment." Logan saw the cordless phone on the sofa. "Or maybe she's in the shower." He leaned back slightly. "Jondy? Are you finished with the phone?" 

"Yeah. Where are the clean towels?" Jondy's voice drifted out the door with the steam from the shower. 

"I'll show her." Max went to get up, but found Logan still had his arms around her waist. "Or maybe I won't ." 

"First cupboard on your right," Logan called out towards the bathroom, but never took his eyes off of Max. "I think I've earned a break." His eyes sparkled teasingly at her. 

"Oh, you do, do you." Max teased back. "So I'm a break now." She laughed as Logan's grin widened. "Just let me call this delivery in." She reached over for the phone, then stopped. "We should probably get somebody who's voice they don't recognize at Jam Pony." 

Logan nodded thoughtfully. "We can always ask Original Cindy to pick it up, but Normal may recognize my voice if I call it in and he's sure to recognize yours." 

Neither of them heard Jondy walk into the room and pick up the phone. 

"Yeah, hi." Jondy changed her voice to sound like the bubbly airheads that she had seen in some old movies. "Like, I need a pick up. Original Cindy knows where I'm like at. But it has to be like delivered by Herbal or Sketchy. Is that like ok? Like bye." She put the phone on the desk after switching it off and went back to finish changing. 

Max and Logan looked at each other in disbelief. Max shook her head. "That has to be the most frightening thing I have ever heard come out of her mouth. I'd better call Original Cindy, let her know what's going on." She dialed the number and was explaining things when Jondy walked back into the room. "Yeah. That's the deleo. You heading down to Crash. Okay. Jondy will have it with her." 

Jondy took the envelope from Logan, waved goodnight and walked out the door. Logan waved back. "Well I'll say this for her, she's certainly a woman of few words." Max hung up the phone and put it back on Logan's computer desk. She put her arms around Logan's neck. "Now what were you saying about taking a break?" 

Bling had bumped into Jondy on her way to work. From what she had described Max and Logan's moods to be when she had left Logan's apartment, he thought it best to stick with her. He had no intention of walking in and interrupting them. As Bling watched Jondy work, he got the distinct feeling that she was being watched. It wasn't the normal attention that she always got. As he looked around the bar he could see several men, stratigically placed by the exits. These men weren't just watching a beautiful woman. It was as if they were stalking prey. 

"Jondy." Bling kept his voice low, knowing Jondy's hearing would easily pick him up. "I think the South Africans are here. They've got all of the exits blocked." 

Jondy wrote something on a piece of paper and slipped it into Bling's hand as she walked past. She stopped briefly and said something to Stan before moving out to the storeroom. Bling looked down at the piece of paper. _Bring the car around the back._ He slip the piece of paper into his trouser pocket and made his way to the door. 

He noticed that the men had already made their way towards the direction Jondy had gone. "Damn." He quickened his pace. Jondy pulled herself through the storeroom window out into the dark alley. Unfortunately, the South Africans had anticipated her move and were waiting for her armed with tasers. As they edged cautiously towards her, Jondy turned slowly, working out her options in her head. When the tasers were fired, Jondy leapt into the air, off to her right, onto the fire escape. 

Before the tasers could be fired again, a car came screaming into the alleyway knocking a couple of the South Africans flying out of the way. Jondy jumped down from the fire escape onto the hood of the car. Jumping on one leg, she kicked out with the other, kicking another man out of the way and knocking his gun into the air. Spinning into a spin kick, she sent one man flying into another. Returning to a standing position, she caught the gun as it came down and fired the taser at the remaining men, causing them to leap out of the way. Jumping off of the car, she climbed into the passenger's seat as Bling threw the car into reverse and floored the gas pedal. 

"So much for going to work to get away from it all, huh?" 

Bling grinned at Jondy. "Always gotta be the center of attention, don't you." 

Jondy giggled. "Yeah. I've really got to get past my shy phase." 

Logan wheeled himself to the door. "Alright! Hold your horses." The knocking at his door just got louder. He wasn't surprised to find Blake at his door. "Back so soon." He moved aside to let Blake in. Blake stormed into the apartment. 

"What the hell is going on?" He waved the envelope that Herbal had delivered. "First some guy I can't even understand delivers this. And then," he pointed to Max who was curled up on the sofa reading Jondy's notes. "Your sister takes out eight men in an alleyway without getting a hair out of place. What are you?" "A genetically engineered killing machine." Max turned the page of the pad she was reading. "So you took out eight guys?" 

"Actually Bling took out two of them with the car." 

Jondy and Bling walked in the still open door. Blake couldn't believe the two women seemed so unconcerned about the whole thing. 

"So you two aren't even human?" He turned to Logan. "Your girlfriend's not human." 

"She's mostly human." Logan closed the door. "It's only her DNA that's mostly feline." He made it sound so normal. 

Blake sat down in a chair as though he had suddenly lost all the feeling in his legs. "You had those experiments performed on you?" He lifted a couple of pages and moved them in their general direction. 

Max nodded. "Just one of the many reasons we broke out of Manticore eleven years ago and you want to help one of the groups who want to put us in cages." 

Max's whole body started to shake. Logan shoved the coffee table out of the way so that he could get his wheelchair beside Max. 

"Bling, go get Max a glass of milk. Damn seizures are starting again." 

Jondy searched Max's pockets. "When was the last time you know that she had the seizures?" She pulled a bottle of tablets out of Max's jacket pocket. 

Logan helped Max sit up while Jondy put a couple of tablets in Max's mouth and held the glass of milk that Bling handed her, so that Max could drink it. Logan slid onto the sofa behind Max so that she could lean against him. 

"A couple of days after you broke her out of Manticore. I started keeping Tryptophon in the medicine cabinet after her last bad attack." 

"The implant makes them worse." Max's violent shaking had subsided slightly. She glared at Blake. "Your bosses have a lot to answer for." 

Blake sat watching in amazement. "The Red Series had the implants right?" Logan nodded in answer to his question. "How the hell did she get hold of an implant and what is it doing in her head?" This was all a bit much for Blake to take, but he had to know what he had gotten himself into. 

"Your bosses had my best friend kidnapped so that they could get hold of an actual X5 to play scientist with." Max settled into Logan's arms. It seemed to help calm the seizures. "I can take on the Reds one at a time, but they weren't really that keen to stand in line and wait their turn." 

"So you decided to give yourself an advantage." Blake had guessed that there was something he wasn't being told when he took the job. With the considerable amount of money he had been paid, he didn't see why he needed to ask questions. 

"Damn implant nearly killed me." Max snuggled closer to Logan and closed her eyes. She had a killer headache. "If it hadn't been for Logan and Original Cindy shooting 5000 volts into my head, it would have killed me." 

"Well, that's a nice memory for your fiftieth anniversary." Jondy's British accent only highlighted her sarcasm. "Well, kids what really convinced your father loved me was when Daddy shot 5000 volts into my head." 

Bling struggled not to laugh at Jondy's comments. The seriousness of the situation took over. "The South African's aren't going to give up until they have Devon or an X5, will they?" He reached out and laid his hand on Jondy's shoulder. It offered him some reassurance of her safety when she reached up and covered his hand with her own. 

Blake shook his head. "No. But they may look elsewhere if Devon or the only X5s in town suddenly up and left." 

"Why would they think that?" Jondy eyed him suspiously. 

"They would want proof and it would only be a matter of time before they came back to Seattle." Blake raised an eyebrow. "Not if I keep supplying proof that you're in Florida, Kansas, Dakota, Utah or maybe Portland." Blake had no idea why he wanted to help them so badly, but he needed to. 

"How are you going to supply proof." Logan stroked Max's hair, she had dozed off, as she was prone to after a seizure. 

"We can't get Max, Jondy, and Devon to make guest appearances in different states just to keep the South Africans guessing." Blake grinned at Jondy. "You know what? I bet you are really photogenic." He turned to Logan. "And I'm going to need to borrow your computer." 

Bling guessed what Blake was going to do. "You've got a digital camera, haven't you?" When Blake's grin widen. "I hope that you've also got some photos of Devon." 

Blake nodded. "Yeah. I managed to get some before he disappeared in San Francisco." He turned back to Jondy. "I'm not even close to finding Devon, am I?" 

Jondy shook her head. "Miles off course. Do you really think that I'd still be sitting here if Devon was just around the corner?" 

Blake eyed her thoughtfully. "If I was close, I doubt that I would have even found you." "Blake." 

Logan gave his friend a warning look. "There's too much riding on this, too many people's lives. Don't mess up." Blake nodded that he understood and reached into his inside pocket and pulled out a packet of photos. 

Max woke to find Logan's living room a central point of what looked like controlled chaos. She stood, but was still shaky on her legs. 

"What did I miss?" 

Logan turned his chair around and wheeled over to her. "Hey, look who's up." He reached out to steady Max. "How are you feeling?" Concern was written all over his face. 

Max smiled at him. "I'm fine. Just a little shaky. What's going on?" 

"All done." Blake got up and brought what looked like a handful of photos over to them. "What do you think?" 

Max sat back down on the sofa. "Wow. Where did you get this shot of Jondy in a bikini?" She looked over at Jondy, who was sitting on the arm of the chair that Bling was sitting in. "Girl, you've got to be the whitest woman on the face of the earth." 

v Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "I try. That's not a bikini I'm wearing." She grinned michieviously. "Recognize the waiter?" 

Max looked at the photo more closely. "Bling?" She gazed over at the two of them. "This is a doctored photo of Jondy in her underwear, sunbathing in Florida with Bling serving her a drink." She laughed. "Think this will really work?" 

v Logan nodded, a determined look on his face. "It has to. Jondy can't afford any more gunshot wounds this month." 

Jondy beckoned Max over to the kitchen. She kept her voice low and her back to the others. "Listen, you got Logan's file from some sort of lab that Vertes was working out of, right?" 

Max nodded. "Yeah. You can pretty much guarantee that Manticore went over there and grabbed all her files. Why?" 

Jondy gazed out of the window. It had started to get light, they would have to hurry, if they were to get in and out of the lab without being seen. 

"It's not the files I want, it's Doctor Frankenstein's equipment. My guess is that Manticore wanted it to look as though someone broke in and shot Vertes trying to get drugs. Most of the equipment probably remained untouched. You up for a trip downtown?" 

Max nodded. "Definitely. Better grab Bling. The more help we get the quicker we'll be in and out of there." She walked over to Logan. "We're going out to get breakfast." 

Logan looked doubtful. "I don't know, Max. If we want to convince the South Africans that Jondy's out of the city, we can't afford for either of you to be spotted." 

Max nuzzled his neck. "That's why we are taking the van and Bling can drive us." 

Logan had a feeling she was up to something, but at least Max and Jondy were willing to take Bling along. "Don't be long, okay." 

Max gave him a quick kiss and headed for the door. "No problem." 

She waited until the three of them were down in the car park before turning to Bling. "So you up for a road trip?" 

Bling grinned. "I had a feeling we were picking up more than breakfast. Where to, ladies?" 

Max climbed into the van. "I'll give you directions." She took a seat, then noticed that Jondy was staring into the shadows. "What's wrong?" 

Jondy climbed into the van and slid the door shut. "Just a feeling I've got. Let's do this quickly." She punched a number into her mobile. "Logan." She spoke into the phone while keeping an eye on the direction they were going. "I need you to ask Blake something. He may need to contact the South Africans for an answer." 

Mathew watched Max and Bling climb out of the van, look around them and walk into a nearby broken down building. There was no sign of Jondy. Suddenly he was slammed up against the brick wall he was peering around. 

"What the hell are you doing here? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Jondy had a tight grip on him. 

Mathew smiled at her. "I didn't know you cared." He felt her grip loosen slightly. He slid his hands down her arms to her waist pulling her closer. 

"I hardly think this is the time or the place for this." Jondy looked Mathew straight in the eyes. She could see the armed men standing behind her reflected in his eyes. 

Mathew lent down towards her. "I can't help it." He whispered. He knew the South Africans wanted to take her back to their lab, but he couldn't see a reason why he couldn't have some fun with her as well. He gently kissed her lips; when she didn't push him away, he deepened the kiss. A quiet moan escaped from her. It was all the encouragement Mathew needed. 

"Does she know what she's doing?" Bling whispered to Max as they quietly carried the equipment past the two guards watching Mathew and Jondy and loaded the van. 

Max glanced over her shoulder at Bling. "She's good, but we'd better do this fast." 

They hurried back into the building to get the rest of the equipment. A few minutes later the van was loaded and Max and Bling watched the scene in front of them. Jondy and Mathew were keeping the attention of the guards with their increasingly steamy actions. Jondy had actually removed Mathew's shirt and Mathew's hands had disappeared up Jondy's blouse. 

Bling shook his head. "Are they actually going to come up for breath anytime soon?" 

Max chuckled. "We were trained to hold our breath for long periods of time. She can keep this up for some time yet." She looked at her watch. "We still have to pick up breakfast and Logan is going to start wondering what we are up to." 

Max picked the crow bar up out of the van and clubbed the nearest guard around the back of the shoulders knocking him out. As the other guard turned around, Bling punched him out cold. 

"Jondy! Time to get you to the airport." 

Jondy stepped back from Mathew. "Coming." She turned and ran over to the van. "See ya." She climbed in the van and slammed the door shut as Bling hit the gas and the van sped off down the street. 

Mathew stared at the two guards lying on the ground. "Get up. Your bosses need the girl." 

When the guards didn't move, Mathew started to run in the direction the van had gone, only to end up flat on his face. Jondy had managed to undo his trousers and had slipped them around his ankles without him noticing. Mathew shook his head in disbelief. 

"I didn't feel a thing." 

Max, Jondy, and Bling were laughing all the way back to Logan's, stopping long enough to pick up some breakfast. 

"So." Max passed Jondy a muffin across the breakfast table. "Is he better than his brother?" 

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "Well, he's certainly a better kisser, but apart from that all of his moves are the same as his brother's. Right down to the double crossing me." 

Blake wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. "How did you know Mathew was working for the South Africans?" 

Logan had been thinking about that very thing since Jondy had phoned him. "Manticore wanted him out of the way pretty badly. We just assumed it had to be because of his twin brother. Then he started conveniently turning up at the right places at the wrong time. A lot." 

Max agreed. "Jondy draws more than her share of unwanted attention, but nobody has ever been this persistent before." 

"After a while it starting becoming obvious there was something more to Mathew than being your basic stalker." Jondy pushed her hair off of her forehead. "That and every time I turned around, he was lurking in the shadows." She looked over at Logan. "Are you finished? We really should get started if this treatment is to work." 

Logan screwed up his paper napkin and tossed it on his plate. "Yeah. I'm not looking forward to the stinging of those injections though." He started wheeling his chair to where they had set up the equipment. 

"A spoonful of sugar should help that." Jondy tugged at Max's jacket sleeve. "Come on, Sugar." 

Logan chuckled. "I think I'm going to enjoy this." 

Mathew looked at the photo he had been handed. "She's in Florida? What about her friend, Devon?" 

"He was also sighted in Florida." Regis was not amused. "We could have had the woman if you hadn't decided to tongue wrestle her. Blake is following up the lead in Florida but he seems to think someone may have tipped Devon and the girl off." 

Mathew ran his hand through his hair. "So they are both on the move again." He could see Regis was getting more and more furious by the minute. "I'll be heading back to the lab then." He paused. "Can I keep this photo?" 

"Get out!" Regis practically launched himself from his chair. 

Jondy cast the monitors a quick glance. "That's enough for today, Logan." When he opened his mouth to protest, she cut him off. "If you push yourself too hard it will only reverse the progress you've already made." She smiled kindly at him. "There's always tomorrow." 

Logan knew that she was right. It was just so frustrating. The process was slow and Jondy had basically had to keep herself hidden so that Blake could convince everyone that she was pretty much touring the country. 

"Thanks for helping me out, Jondy. I know I've done nothing but complain this past week." 

"What's a few complaints between family." 

Jondy waited for Logan to pull his shirt on. "You ready to try this? Don't get discouraged if it doesn't work. We're only in the early stages yet." 

Logan understood. "Yeah, I know." He eased himself to the edge of the table. "Okay. I'm ready." 

Jondy stood in front of him. "How about we give you a little inspiration." She glanced over her shoulder. "Max, have you fixed that thing yet?" 

"Yeah." Max walked into the room carrying the exo-skeleton. "It just needed one or two minor adjustments." She looked up at them suspiciously. "What are you two up to?" 

Jondy took the exo-skeleton off of Max and positioned Max in front of Logan. "Let's try this then. Remember, take it slowly." She warned Logan. 

Logan never took his eyes off of Max. Cautiously he shuffled his body forward until his feet were flat on the floor. Shifting his weight forward slightly he stood up. Although he was shaky, he was still standing up all by himself. 

"What do you say, Doc, can I try a bit more?" 

Jondy put the exo-skeleton down on the table and moved to stand beside Logan. "One step. No cartwheels or fancy moves." 

Max held out her arms enough to help Logan if he needed it, but far enough away so that he didn't feel as though she didn't have faith in his efforts. "Let's see what you've got." 

Logan stayed concentrating on Max, secure in the knowledge that both women were close enough to help him if he needed it. "Here goes nothing," he muttered more to himself than anything. Carefully he lifted his foot and stepped forward. Relief coursed through him. "We're on our way." 

He was rewarded with a hug from Max and a smile from Jondy. 

"Okay, Speedy. How about you put the exo-skeleton back on now that Max has fixed it. It will keep your limbs moving but keep the pressure off of you so that you can heal more naturally." Jondy helped him back to the table and then left Max and Logan alone. 

"How do you feel?" Max hadn't seen Logan this pleased with himself for ages. 

Logan felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of him. "Like I can fly," he laughed. "Maybe Jondy will let me try that next week." 

Max moved closer. "Not without me you won't. Remember, Jondy said you'll have to go slow." She leaned forward and kissed him. 

Logan wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer. "Slow huh?" he whispered against her neck. "How slow?" 

Max giggled. Her giggles were halted when Logan moved his mouth back to hers. So engrossed with each other were they, that they never heard Jondy leave. 

Mathew had been working day and night since Jondy had disappeared. Regis had insisted on it. He was still no closer to finding the answers he needed. "Where are you?" he spoke to the photo hanging on his wall. Shaking his head, he went back to work, the memory of her kiss playing over and over in his mind. "One day." His promise hung in the air like the smog outside. 

_The End_


	4. Heads or Tails

**"Heads Or Tails"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Edward, Stan, Blake, Regis and Mathew however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

With the South African's and Mathew still hot on Jondy's trail, everyone pitches in to help Max's sister. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs after "And Jesus Brought a Cassarole".

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

A glass beaker went flying across the room, shattering when it hit the wall. Another failure. Mathew didn't have the expertise to be able to complete the DNA structure. He hadn't shaved for weeks, had barely slept, all because he had let her go. He looked over at the photo still hanging on his wall. The few minutes he had managed to sleep, she had filled his dreams. What was it they always said: _You always want what you can't have._ "I will have you." He sneered at the photo on his wall. His obsession with Jondy had literally driven him insane. 

The guards shook their heads as they passed the lab. They could hear his insane ramblings day and night. Regis would not be happy that he hadn't made any progress. He was starting to resemble the creatures that they had heard were located beneath Manticore when it had been functioning. Casting a concerned glance at the lab they finished their shift and went to fill out their reports. 

"Nice Wig. What does Stan make of it?" Max sipped her beer as she sat with her friends from Jam Pony. 

Jondy loaded the empty glasses onto the tray she was holding. "He thinks I make a better redhead, but as long as the customers keep coming in, he's not asking any questions." She scratched the back of her head. "It's damn itchy, though." 

"So the black wig is to hide you from a stalker?" Sketchy as usual was so drunk that he could barely stand, let alone stay on his seat. "It's only my opinion but I think you look hot no matter what color your hair is." 

Herbal kept hold of Sketchy's collar so that he didn't fall off his chair. "It'll take more than a change of hair color to disguise you, my sister," he explained when everyone looked at him completely confused. "Jessica has an original walk, a specific way she talks, not to mention expressions that cross her face. A wig might not be enough." 

Jondy blew a stray hair out of her face. "Well, it's going to have to be enough, at least for tonight." She turned and walked back to the bar. 

"So there's been no sign of Mathew since Jessica left him with his pants around his ankles, literally." Original Cindy looked at Max over the rim of her glass of beer. 

Max shook her head. "No. Logan found out that he was some sort scientist. Certainly was performing some major chemistry when I last saw him. If Bling hadn't called out to Jondy when he did, Mathew could have been running naked down the street instead of left standing in his boxer shorts." Max giggled at the memory. "Sister girl sure knows how to steam up an alley." 

"Speaking of steaming. Where's Logan tonight?" Original Cindy wiggled her eyebrows. 

Max rolled her eyes. "His cousin wanted to speak to him about something. I figured it was personal so I thought that I'd leave them to it." 

"You staying with Jessica and me tonight then?" Original Cindy knew Max didn't have the normal family life, so Logan's family probably didn't make any sense to her what so ever. 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "I'll give Logan a call later and see how it's going. Can I let you know?" 

"Fine with me." Original Cindy finished the last of her beer. "It's not as if you or Jessica sleep anyway." She had gotten used to Jondy and Max coming and going as they pleased. The hard part was remembering to call Jondy Jessica when they were in crowds or outside of the apartment. 

Logan opened the door expecting his cousin Bennet. Unfortunately he found Mathew. "If you're looking for Jondy, she left town." He had come to regard Jondy as much a sister as Max did. 

"So I hear." Mathew walked into the apartment uninvited. "Know where I can find her?" He looked around the apartment, suspecting Jondy was hiding there somewhere. 

"Last word I got from her was a postcard from Florida. Why don't you try there." Logan had no patience to deal with Mathew right now. "Now if you wouldn't mind, I'm expecting my cousin any minute." 

Mathew's head whipped around to look at Logan. "Your cousin? What's her name?" 

"Bennet." Bennet stood in the doorway behind Logan. "Problem, Logan?" 

"No." Logan stayed facing Mathew. "He's just leaving." 

Mathew could see that he wasn't going to get anything out of Logan. "I'll be seeing you." He walked past Logan and Bennet into the hallway. He could always stake out the building Jondy had shared with Original Cindy. "There's more than one way to skin a cat," he muttered to himself as he waited for the lift doors to open. 

"Who the hell was that?" Bennet asked as Logan shut the door behind them. "Or should I say, what the hell was that?" He suddenly realized Logan was standing. The last time he had seen Logan was at his wedding and Logan had been in a wheelchair. "Hey, you're walking. How?" 

Logan laughed at his cousin. "I'm seeing a specialist. Mathew is sort of hung up on her. Won't take no for an answer." 

Bennet grinned. "She's not the one you brought to my wedding, is she?" 

Logan shook his head and gestured to the sofa as he sat down in an armchair. "No. Actually, she's Max's sister. So what can I do for you?" Logan knew things had been tough for Bennet since his father, Jonas, had been killed by Manticore. 

"Well, I was wondering if you knew of anyone who was needing someone with my qualifications." Bennet looked down at his hands clasped in front of him. "Maryanne is expecting our baby in a few months and I've been coming up empty job wise. We've managed so far but..." 

"You're now looking at another mouth to feed," Logan finished for him. "Let me make a few phone calls." Logan still had a few contacts who might be able to help Bennet. 

"Thanks, Logan." Bennet had no idea how Logan had managed to survive, but knowing Logan's high morals, he knew it was all totally legal. 

"The phone line's busy." Max switched Jondy's mobile off frustrated. "He's probably working." She handed the phone back to Jondy. "Again." 

"So why don't you go over there and convince him that he needs to take a break." Jondy hooked the phone onto her belt and moved back into the crowd to get back to the bar. 

"Sister girl's got the right idea." Original Cindy gave Sketchy a shove as he fell towards her. "Learn when to say no, fool." 

"No," Sketchy managed to mutter before he fell on the floor. 

"I'll be getting him home now." Herbal yanked Sketchy off the floor. "Come on, my brother. Time to go home." 

"Okay. I'll walk you home," Sketchy mumbled as Herbal all but carried him out of the bar. 

"You're right. I should just go over there and convince Logan there is more to life than saving the world." Max was more convincing herself than making a statement. "I'll catch you later." She got up and left. 

Original Cindy waited until Max was out of the bar before giving Jondy the thumbs up. "I wish those two would get their signals straight before they drive the rest of us crazy." When she saw Jondy laugh, she realized the X5 had heard her from the other side of the room. "Man, you two have awesome superhero powers." 

"I don't guarantee anything but at least you have three interviews." Logan wished he could have helped more. 

"Thanks, Logan. I appreciate all your help." Bennet hadn't even expected to get an interview. 

"Logan. Are you still working?" Max strolled into the room. She spotted Bennet. "You're not working. You're still busy with your cousin, so I'm gonna go." She turned to walk back out. 

"No, wait. I'm just leaving." Bennet stood and shook Logan's hand. "Thanks for your help." He stopped by Max on his way out. "Nice to see you again." 

"Yeah. You, too." Max waved goodbye to Bennet as he walked out of the door. "I'm sorry. I tried to call and you were on the phone. So I thought that you were working and might need a break." She winced when she realized how lame that sounded. 

"Bennet and Maryanne are expecting a child in a few months, so I contacted a few people to see if I could get him a job." Logan was always happy to see Max but sometimes her timing sucked. "That would be why I was on the phone. But I could use a break. Mathew was here looking for Jondy before that." 

"Yeah, well Jondy is wearing a black wig at the moment, which if you can believe it makes her look even more pale than she does with red hair." Max inched closer to Logan. "I think that it may be a bit more difficult to find her this time. Besides, if Jondy doesn't want to be found, she can disappear right in front of your face." 

"You don't think there's anything to worry about with Mathew still looking for Jondy? He doesn't seem very convinced that she's out of town. He might go after you next to get Jondy." The mere thought made him shudder. 

"Jondy and I can look after ourselves." Max draped her arms over Logan's shoulders. "It's not as if Mathew will see either of us walking in and out of the front door. We don't exactly use the normal entrances and exits." She looked Logan straight in the eye. "Worry accomplishes nothing, remember." 

Logan pulled her into his lap. "Promise me you'll be careful and I won't worry." He knew the two women could take care of themselves, but the memory of Max dying in his arms was still painfully fresh. 

Max rolled her eyes. "I can't speak for Jondy, but alright I promise I'll be careful. Now are you going to stop saving the world long enough to make sure I'm keeping out of trouble." She smiled at him sexily. 

Logan started to tickle her. "Keep you out of trouble. I'm not a miracle worker. That's your job." He laughed at her shrieks of laughter. The moment he looked into her eyes his laughter stopped. He could so easily get lost in those eyes. "God, I love you." The words just came out of nowhere. 

Max stopped laughing as well. She touched Logan's face; he was so serious. "I love you, too." That had been a lot easier than she had thought it would be. She just couldn't seem to get close enough to Logan at that moment. 

The both of them all but pounced on each other--hands clawing at clothes, limbs entangled with limbs. Neither of them could actually remember how they had made it to the bedroom. The moment they melted into each other's bodies, all was right with the world. The apartment was silent apart from the sound of their ragged breathing and the occasional moan. Finally they just lay in each other's arms, a mass of tangled limbs. 

Mathew watched the apartment building that Jondy and Original Cindy lived in. He knew somehow she was still in Seattle. What he didn't see was Jondy climbing down the side of the building and in an open window, which Original Cindy had left open for her. 

"It's windy out there." Jondy pulled the wig off and ran her fingers through her long red hair. "I didn't wake you, did I?" 

Original Cindy shook her head. "No. I wanted to make sure you spotted that lunatic downstairs." 

"How long has Mathew been out there?" Jondy slumped down on the sofa. 

Original Cindy shrugged her shoulders. "He was there when I got back from Crash. I think I've been hanging with you and Max too long. A year ago I never would have noticed somebody staking the apartment out." She waved good night over her shoulder as she walked into her room. 

"Good night." Jondy pulled out her notes, her mobile phone and a pen. Leaving everything spread out on the coffee table, she walked into the kitchen to get a cup of tea. She was still pouring over her notes when Original Cindy left for work the next morning. 

"Well, you're looking happy with yourself." Original Cindy wheeled her bike up beside Max who was practically glowing. "Good night?" 

Max blushed. "Let's just say, Logan didn't get any work done last night." 

Original Cindy raised her eyebrows. "You did have a good night. Not to burst your bubble, but Jessica had to use the window to get in last night. Stalker boy was watching the building." 

Max wasn't surprised. "Yeah. He stopped by Logan's looking for her as well. I'm not sure if it's pure obsession or if the South Africans have told him it's his life or hers." 

"It's not good either way, Boo." Original Cindy propped her bike up against a post. "Either way Jessica has to scale great heights to avoid him. To tell the truth, he's starting to freak me out." 

Max knew it took a lot to worry Original Cindy. "I'll talk to Logan later, see if we can find a permanent solution. How's my sister coping with all this unwanted attention." 

Original Cindy laughed as she shook her head. "When I left sister girl this morning, she was up to her neck in notes, files, medical journals, and I'm pretty sure she had a book on the mating rituals of cats. She didn't even look up when I handed her a cup of tea." 

Max nodded. "Yep. That's my sister. Panic on the inside, calm chaos on the outside." 

Logan glanced through the books Jondy had with her. "Should I be worried that you have a book titled _Heads or Tails: The mating rituals of cats_ with you?" 

Jondy was sitting cross-legged on his sofa. "I don't sleep, I only work so many hours in the day and I have to work on your treatments in between your work, my work, and Max's work. Strangely enough that still gives me a lot of time on my hands because I also have to schedule around those 'breaks' that you and Max take. Devon and I are working on some sort of antidote for Max and I going into heat two or three times a year." 

Logan hadn't thought of it that way. He and Max had each other. Jondy was alone. "Why don't you take a break for a minute." He sat down beside her. "You don't have to find all the answers yourself. You and Max have managed to live your lives pretty well despite your Manticore induced differences." 

"It gives me something real to think about, to focus on." Jondy looked at him. "It gives me a chance to forget that I am different, that I'm not normal." 

Logan understood. "Lets you forget you're lonely. It's hard enough to meet the perfect person," he grinned. "She doesn't break into your apartment everyday and try to rob you." 

Jondy pretended to wipe a tear from her eye. "That's beautiful." Her face turned serious as she stopped teasing him. "I guess the biggest problem really is: If you find Mr Right, how do explain that you're part feline. Most of the guys I've met, tend to want to turn you in to the highest bidder. It sort of makes it harder to trust people." 

"I guess it must." Logan had always known it was difficult for the X5s to maintain a normal life with someone always chasing them. It was only now that he really understood how separated they were from the rest of the world. 

Jondy looked at him wistfully. "Yeah, I think you do." She tugged at his shirt. "Come on, let's get your treatment started. I'll have to stop home to get showered and changed before I go to work." 

Original Cindy clicked her tongue as she walked in the apartment to find Max standing in the living room. "I saw it, but I still don't believe I saw you climb up the side of the building, like a big cat." She looked out of the window. "Stalker boy's back out there again. I guess he didn't buy the leaving the city story." 

Max joined her at the window. "I might have a temporary solution." She picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Hey, Kendra. It's Max. You still got a cop boyfriend?" She smiled at the answer. "Great. Original Cindy and I need a favor." 

Mathew sat in his car watching the building. He had seen Original Cindy walk in. It would only be a matter of time before Jondy/Jessica turned up. A knock on the passenger window made him jump. A police officer walked around to the driver's side and waited for Mathew to roll the window down. "Is there a problem, Officer?" 

The Officer nodded. "I'd say so. One of the tenants in this building claims you were stalking her flat mate. The flat mate's left town and yet you have been spotted two nights running watching this apartment building. If your name is Mathew, there have also been reports of you harassing the flat mate's friends for her location. I think that you had better accompany me down to the station, sir." 

Mathew rolled his eyes. "You have no proof of any of this. I am entitled to sit in my car. You can't stop me," he retorted smugly. 

"Actually, sir, I can." The Officer smiled back equally as smugly. "This is a no parking area." He looked at someone over his shoulder. "Is this him?" 

Original Cindy came into view. "Yeah, that's him. He's got it bad for Sister girl. She kept telling him no, but he just doesn't get it." 

"Please get out of the car, sir, and accompany me to the station." The Police Officer opened the car door, his face deadly serious. "Now!" 

When Original Cindy walked back in the apartment and gave Max the thumbs up, she laughed. "Thanks, Kendra. I owe you big time. Thank Walter for me as well." She switched the phone off. "I never thought I'd be thanking him for a favor." She shook her head. "It's a large life." 

"You're telling me." Original Cindy shut the door behind her. "It's still only a temporary solution. You, yourself said that." She slumped down on the sofa. "Sister girl over at Logan's?" 

"Yeah." Max sat down beside her friend. "She doesn't think it will be too much longer before he can walk without anymore treatments. I think Jondy would like to go back to San Francisco." Max couldn't help but be saddened by the thought. 

"You're gonna miss her a lot, aren't you?" Original Cindy leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees. 

Max took a deep breath. "Yeah. To tell you the truth, I hadn't expected her to stay this long. I think she only did it to help me get Logan back on his feet." She shrugged her shoulders and managed a weak smile. "I guess I was getting used to having my sister around." 

Original Cindy put her arm around her friend. "She has her own life to live. It can't be easy for her, hanging around with you and Logan when the closest thing she has to a boyfriend wants to put her in a cage. It's gotta get kind of lonely." 

What Original Cindy said made perfect sense. Max could remember what it had been like. Not being able to trust anyone was a heavy burden to bear. 

Bling helped Jondy pack up her notes and books. "How's Logan doing?" He shoved them into a backpack. 

Jondy smiled gratefully. "Very well. It should only take a couple more treatments before he can walk completely on his own. He won't need my help anymore." 

Bling realized the hidden meaning behind what she was saying. "You're heading back to San Francisco, aren't you?" 

Jondy nodded. "That was the plan." She could feel his eyes on her. "Don't look at me like that. I don't belong here. I belong in San Francisco." Finally she looked up and found him still watching her. "If I promise to visit, will you stop looking at me like that? Anybody would think you're going to miss me." 

v Bling gazed into her big blue eyes. "Yeah. I sort of got used to coming here and finding you bullying Logan. Not to mention, who am I going to hang with when Logan takes one of his breaks." Bling chuckled. "Yeah. I'm really going to miss you." 

"Thanks." Jondy leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. I'm going to miss you, too." 

"Am I interrupting something?" Max had walked into the apartment without Jondy or Bling hearing her. She giggled when Bling actually blushed. Jondy,, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice what sort of affect she had on him. 

"Hey, it's not our clothes that are constantly littering the floor of two certain apartments in Seattle." Jondy teased back. 

"I got your stalker taken down to the police station, but I don't know how long they can keep him down there." Max quickly changed the subject. "Logan in?" 

"He's working on the computer." Bling gestured with his head to the next room. "He's had a couple of phone calls, informants, I think." 

Max rolled her eyes. "Great. That means we'll both be working tonight. Scaling great heights seem to be in my immediate future." 

"No, great heights. Fancy breaking into a safe and getting some money laundering information for me?" Logan walked up behind Max and wrapped his arms around her waist. 

"We are not working all night." Max folded her arms in front of her, a determined look on her face. 

"No. Not all night." Logan kissed her neck. "I promise we are saving a lot of innocent people's money." 

"Oh, well, I'll just drop everything and go and save the world." Max couldn't stay mad with Logan for long. In fact most of their fights had always been forgotten minutes later. 

Jondy smiled to herself. It would be hard going for Max and Logan. They were so different. But if any two people could make it work, it was these two. The one thing they had in common was their stubbornness. "I've got to get to work. I'll see you guys later." 

Bling grabbed his jacket. "I'll give you a lift. Something tells me things are going to steam up in here real soon." 

Max watched them leave. "Looks as though I'm not the only one who's going to miss Jondy when she goes back to San Francisco." She looked up at Logan. "I guess we had better get to work." 

Logan tightened his arms around her waist when she moved to walk away. "We have time. I know you're going to miss Jondy, but you're not alone anymore. It's different than before. You know where Jondy is and how to get hold of her." 

Max turned so that she was facing him. "I know all that. I guess I just got used to having my sister here. She was always the one I was the closest to." 

Logan kissed her forehead. "Yeah. She started to feel like my little sister, too. Any idea when she's going?" 

Max shook her head. "No, but I heard her tell Bling that you only need a couple more treatments. I'm guessing it will be soon." 

Logan looked at Max thoughtfully. "You know, I can find another way to get this information on the money laundering. You go and spend some quality time with your sister." 

Max threw her arms around Logan's neck and gave him a hug. "Thanks for being so understanding. Jondy's working until the early hours of the morning though. So I could probably do the safe break and you could spend some time thanking me for doing the safe break." She kissed his neck. "I should be able to walk home with Jondy and spend a few hours with her before I have to go to work." 

Logan chuckled. "You have this all figured out, don't you?" Before he could get an answer there was a knock on the door. "Who can that be?" When he opened the door he saw Devon was standing outside. At least he thought that the man standing before him looked like the guy Blake had shown him photos of. "Devon?" 

Devon nodded. "Are you Logan?" 

"Yeah. Come on in." Logan moved aside to let Devon in. "This is Max. No offense, Devon, but what are you doing here? It's not exactly safe." 

Devon shook Max's hand. "Nice to finally meet both of you. I got word from a friend that the South Africans are no longer looking for me. They're focusing on Jondy." 

Devon stood slightly short of six foot. His short dark hair was slightly ruffled and his green eyes full of concern. He looked as though he had been traveling all night. 

Max gestured for Devon to sit down. "She left for work about five minutes ago. She should be fine. She's wearing a black wig." 

Devon chuckled as he shook his head. "Hey, I may be gay, but there is no disguise made that could make Jondy unrecognizable." 

Max looked at Logan nervously. "You're not the first person to have said that. Logan, I think I had better take you up on your offer and spend sometime with my sister." 

Logan wasn't so sure that was such a good idea. "I don't know, Max. If the South Africans are sure that Jondy is still in Seattle, they may not stop at capturing one X5." 

Devon shook his head. "It's not just the fact that she is an X5. If it were just that, I'd be worried about all of the others as well." 

"It's her medical knowledge." Max guessed. "With Jondy, they'll have a perfect specimen walking around and somebody with the knowledge to create others, all in one package." She put her head in her hands. "Damn it." 

Logan reached for the phone. "I'll call Bling, get him to bring her back here." 

The apartment door opened and Bling walked in holding his head, blood trickling down his face. "They got Jondy. They hit me over the head and when she came to help me, they threw a sack over her and threw her in the back of a van. She still managed to take a couple of them out." Bling sat down and looked at Max. "I'm sorry, Max. We never saw them coming." 

Max grabbed the first aid kit. "It's not your fault. We've just got to find her and fast. Mathew's been released by now." She started tending to Bling's head wound. 

Logan dialed a number on the phone he still held in his hand. "Matt. A stalker was brought in there today. His first name is Mathew." He listened for a moment. "Yeah that's him. Has he been released yet?" He grinned at the answer. "No. It's just we need to follow him. Thanks." He hung up the phone. "Let's go and get Jondy back." 

Jondy sat in the corner of the room that she had been tossed into. She had immediately spotted the so-called hidden camera and was sitting beneath it. The sack they had thrown over her was lying in front of her. She could hear the guards outside trying to figure out what to do with her. 

The door opened and Mathew walked in with two guards. "I knew you would come back." He looked so sure of himself. 

Jondy stood slowly. "So this is the only way you can get a woman, by taking her prisoner. Wow! What a real turn on." Her expression was stone cold. "What's next? You want to try gang banging?" 

Mathew shrugged his shoulders. "I hear you X5s are kinky. I have to admit, I'm not real sure what you're capable of. But hey, I'm adventurous." 

"I have a thing for handcuffs." Jondy grabbed Mathew and threw him across the room onto the bed. Running up the wall to avoid the gunfire the guards had started firing at her, she kicked out the camera and flipped herself over so that she landed behind the guards. Taking hold of their collars, she banged their heads together, knocking them out. Jondy quickly yanked the handcuffs off their belts. Glancing up she saw that Mathew had got his breath back and was creeping towards one of the guns that the guards had dropped. "Still want to play?" Spinning around she kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling on the bed. Quickly she cuffed his hands to the bed. "What do you know, I am kinky." She dragged the two guards over to the bed and cuffed one hand of each guard to the same part of the bed as Mathew. "As fun as this hasn't been, I've really got to go." 

"You'll never get out of here. This place is a lock box." Mathew grinned smugly. "Didn't think of that, did you?" 

Jondy took two steps back from the door and stood with her hands on her hips smiling. Suddenly the door came crashing down at her feet. "What took you so long?" 

Max walked into the room and looked at the three men handcuffed to the bed. "You have been busy. What would you have done if we had taken longer?" 

Logan walked into the room. "Hey. We've gotta get moving. I'm up for any ideas to get out of here, cause we can't go back the way we came in." 

Jondy walked over to the bed and climbed onto Mathew. Searching through his pockets, she tried to find some sort of security card. 

Logan was slightly taken aback. "Jondy, I don't think that we have time for you to play with your stalker." 

Jondy stood up with a card in her hand. "Got it." She delivered a sharp kick to Mathew's side before jumping off the bed onto the floor and racing out of the door. 

Max swiped the card Jondy had lifted off of Mathew through the lock on the first door they came to. Running between departments, they narrowly missed the seemingly endless stream of guards. 

"Damn it." Max swiped the card a second time and still it didn't work. "I guess we have to do this the old fashioned way." Taking a step backwards, she bent her leg upwards and kicked the door down. "I just know I'm going to feel that tomorrow." 

"Looks like we have all the clearance we need." Logan reached out and stopped the two women. "What's wrong with this picture?" 

"You mean apart from the fact that we don't know where the hell we are?" Jondy looked around her. Her feline hearing picked up the guards coming down the corridor. "We've got company." 

Max tapped the top of the computer in the room. "Okay, Logan. Show us what you've got." When Logan moved around the other side of the desk, Max took a moment to look around the room herself. "We're in the lab." She spotted the photo of Jondy supposedly in Florida. "Mathew's lab." She handed Jondy the photo a disgusted look on her face. 

"I'm in." Logan quickly brought up a site map. "Damn. The only way out is the way we came in." 

Jondy looked up. "Can you find a map of the ventilation systems." 

Max looked worried. "You think Logan's legs are strong enough for him to get in and out of the ventilation system." 

"Looks as though we're going to find out." Logan printed out the map and handed it to Max. Tapping a few more keys on the keyboard he climbed onto the desk and followed Max into the airshaft with Jondy right behind him. 

Seconds later the guards and Mathew charged into the room. "Where are they then?" Mathew spun around at the sound of Regis' voice. 

Mathew looked around him. "There's no way they could have gotten out of here. They would have had to have gone through us." He charged over to his desk. Something was missing. "They've definitely been in here. The photo's missing off of the wall and someone's been touching my computer." He moved the mouse. "Oh my God and they've downloaded a virus onto the machine." 

Regis looked up and saw a ceiling tile out of place. "They are in the ceiling." He glared at Mathew. "You let the girl get loose. Again. Then, while you were handcuffed to the bed, they made it into the lab, downloaded a virus. I'm just guessing that they downloaded the virus cause I can't see anybody remembering to bring a disk with a virus on it, in while breaking someone out of here. And now they are crawling around somewhere in the ceiling. Am I surrounded by idiots?" 

Zeak moved up beside Regis. "Yes, but you also have to remember these are Lydecker's kids. He would have taught them to cover their steps and take any advantage available to them." He grinned when he thought of his old friend. Lydecker was fiercely protective of his 'kids', especially one in particular. "You won't be able to recreate what he did." He pointed to Mathew. "At least not with him in charge of the DNA structure. He can't get his head past the redhead. If he actually uses his brain to think he may be of some use." 

Regis stood, still glaring at Mathew as he thought over what his brother had said. "Fine. I won't have him killed. Yet." He turned and walked away leaving Mathew to contemplate the threat left hanging in the air. He leaned closer to his brother as they walked side by side down the corridor. "Get the guards to search all of the ceiling vents. They may still be in the building. If they're gone, get hold of Blake. He may have a lead on where they are heading." 

Zeak nodded. "Of course. The sooner we can find a qualified team of doctors and scientists, the better. Devon Saunders is friends with one of the X5s. That makes him harder to get hold of." He signaled to some guards to follow him. 

Max, Logan, and Jondy clambered into the van and slammed the door shut. Jondy did a double take when she saw who was in the van. "Devon! What are you doing here?" She threw her arms around her friend. "God, I've missed you." 

Devon laughed as he hugged his tiny friend. "I'm here to get you out of trouble. I can't leave you alone for five minutes, can I." 

Logan leaned over the front seat. "Let's get the hell out of here, Bling." He sat back down beside Max. "What do you think they'll do to Mathew. This will be the second time he's lost Jondy." 

Devon kept hold of Jondy's hand. She was the closest thing to a sister he had. He needed to reassure himself she was safe. "They will keep him working in the lab until he succeeds or they find someone better. After that, who knows?" 

"What are you two going to do now?" Max knew in her heart that it was time for her sister to leave for her own safety. 

"Head back to San Francisco. Blake will keep the South Africans looking in the opposite direction." Jondy didn't want to leave her sister behind, but at least she was safe with the knowledge that Max had someone who loved her. 

Logan smirked. "They may be too busy trying to get back the information that was in the computer I downloaded the virus onto." 

Max smiled proudly. "I knew you'd come in use. I might have to keep you around." She loved how his eyes sparkled when he looked at her. 

"You'd better." He pulled her closer. 

"I've really gotta get me one of those." Devon watched Logan and Max tease each other. He looked over at Jondy. "No offense. I love having you as a roommate and all but..." 

"No offense taken." Jondy cut him off. 

Normal shook his head at the sight of his employee's laughing and chatting with each other. "You all have jobs to do, people. The packages don't deliver themselves. If they did I wouldn't need any of you." His jaw dropped when he saw the woman walking in the door. "Can I help you?" He noticed out of the corner of his eye that she had grabbed the attention of all of the other males in the building. 

Original Cindy rolled her eyes. "Max! Sister girl's here." She walked over to Jondy. "You leaving then?" She waited for Jondy to nod. "Well, you sure shook Seattle up for a while. Take care of yourself." She hugged the petite redhead. 

"You, too." Jondy smiled at her new friend. "You had better come and visit Devon and me." 

"You've got Original Cindy's word on that." She waved goodbye and grabbed the parcel that Normal was holding out to her. "You're drooling Normal." She chuckled to herself as she caught him wiping his mouth as she walked out. 

Max took in the scene in front of her. Jondy had no idea the kind of stir she caused just walking in the room. "My Sister." She hugged Jondy. "God, I'm going to miss you. You'd better stay in touch." 

Jondy giggled. "I have a feeling you're going to spend a lot of time at Logan's with the phone switched off. Make sure you and Logan come and visit." 

Max finally let go of her sister. "You know where to find me if you need me." 

"Yeah." Jondy nodded. "If you need a genetically engineered doctor..." 

"I know where to find you." Max was dragging the moment out. Both of them were. "Devon's waiting in the car?" 

"Yeah. I've really got to go." Jondy's face was full of regret. "Next time we've really got to make sure neither of us is being chased by maniacs." She started to walk backwards. Waving goodbye she turned and met Logan at the door. She hugged him goodbye. "Take good care of my sister." 

"You bet." Logan watched her head out to the car where Devon was waiting for her. Max came to stand beside him as they watched the car fade into the distance. "You alright?" He kissed the top of her head. 

"Yeah. I will be." Max looked up at him. "I've gotta get back to work before Normal has a stroke. See you tonight?" 

"Yeah." He snuck in a quick kiss before she went back to work. "And then there were two," he muttered to himself. This was going to be interesting. He took a coin out of his pocket. "Heads: it's going to be hard going. Tails: we're gonna be fine." He flipped the coin in the air, caught it and slapped it on the back on his hand. Looking at the coin he chuckled. "Tails." 

_The End_


	5. Just Another Family Reunion

**"Just Another Family Reunion"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Devon, Gavin, Dwan and Mathew however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

When Max's virus leaves her unconscious, Logan calls help of the X5 kind.

**Timeframe:**

Occurs after "Designate This".

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

Night fell on the dark streets of Seattle. There was yet another brown out and Logan's apartment was lit up by hundreds of candles. For once it wasn't raining as Logan stared out at the dark streets, wondering where Max was and if she was alright. 

It didn't seem fair. He had only just got her back and Manticore had found yet another way to take her from him. He continuously tried to find a cure or someone who might know of a cure to save his Dark Angel. After much debating with himself, Logan saw no other choice. There was once person who could help. She might not be able to cure Max, but she could certainly help Max through this one way or another. He would wait until morning to make the call. That way he could be sure to catch her at home. Feeling some relief at being able to do something to help at last, Logan went to bed. Not that he would be able to sleep, but he could rest. Tomorrow would be a big day and already it seemed full of promise. 

Max couldn't help herself. Her head was full of thoughts of Logan. They had gotten so close to actually having a real life together and Manticore had screwed it up for her again. As hard as she tried not to feel sorry for herself and wallow in self-pity, she couldn't help it. Everything she had ever wanted and everyone she had ever loved just seemed to be snatched away from her. 

It was rare for Max to sleep, but she had been doing a lot of exactly that just lately. She seemed to need it just to get through the day. Original Cindy had been watching her like a mother hen. Although Max appreciated her friend caring about her so much, she didn't want to drag Cindy into her problems. This was not a problem she wanted to share, which was why she was trying to keep her distance from Logan. That was proving to be harder than she had thought it would be. It had been so much easier back when the only person Max had cared about was herself. Back when her only purpose in life was to keep herself alive and look for her family. It had really thrown a spanner in the works when she had met Logan while trying to rob him. Then it had become even more complicated when she realized that she was in love with him. "Life wasn't meant to be this hard," she muttered to herself as she turned in for the night. 

"No offense, girl, but you don't look so hot." Original Cindy reached out and touched Max's forehead. "You certainly feel hot, though. Why don't you go back to bed. Not even Normal's gonna dispute that you're ill." 

Max shook her head, which only served to make her feel dizzy. "No. I've got to keep busy, besides I can't afford to keep taking time off work. I don't want to alarm Jondy by keep asking her to sign Doctor's notes for me." 

Original Cindy looked at Max in disbelief. "You haven't told Jondy you're sick. Did it ever occur to you that she and Devon might be able to help?" 

Max had considered exactly that, but considering her virus was created by Manticore, she didn't think her sister could help this time. "It's not as though I have the flu that she can prescribe aspirin for. She can't help this time." She stood slowly in an attempt to stop the room from spinning. "Come on, we're going to be late for work." 

When Max opened the door, Rafer was standing outside hand raised to knock on the door. "Ladies. Need a ride to work?" 

"Sounds good to me." 

Max took one step forward before everything turned black and she crumpled into a heap in Rafer's arms. 

"How long's she been like this?" Rafer swung Max into his arms and started walking down the hallway. "She looks as though she should have been in a hospital weeks ago." 

Original Cindy slammed the apartment door shut and raced after him. "You can't take her to a hospital." When Rafer kept on walking Cindy realized she needed some help explaining things when they got to the hospital. "At least let me call someone and let them know where you're taking her." 

Rafer looked at Original Cindy as though she were insane. "Fine. My cell phone's in my back pocket, but can you open the ambulance doors for me first." 

Original Cindy opened the doors and grabbed the phone as Rafer climbed into the ambulance and settled Max on a stretcher. Quickly she dialed Logan's number as she climbed in the back of the ambulance and shut the doors. Rafer had put an oxygen mask on Max and had strapped her in. 

"Come on, Logan. Pick up that damn phone." 

The sound of the ambulance sirens was almost deafening. So much so that Cindy barely registered Logan's phone had been picked up. 

"Hello?" The voice she had heard on the other end sounded female. She checked the number she had dialed on the cell phone screen… Right number. Wrong voice. "Is Logan there?" 

"May I say who's calling?" The voice sounded inquisitive. 

"No, you may not." The urgency of the situation disregarded any patience Cindy had. "This is an emergency, just get me Logan." 

"Hello?" Logan's voice came on the line quickly as though he had grabbed the phone off of whoever had answered. 

"Logan, it's Cindy. Max collapsed at the apartment. We're heading for the hospital." Original Cindy reached out and took hold of Max's hand. "Before you say anything, it wasn't my idea to take her to the hospital. Rafer was there when she collapsed." 

Logan had to think quickly. "What hospital are you heading for?" 

Original Cindy leaned forward and repeated Logan's question. "Metro Medical. You know someone there?" 

"Make sure the only doctor that sees her is Sam Carr." Logan had a feeling it might be able to buy them some time. "I'll get there as soon as I can. I've got to make a phone call to San Francisco." 

"Don't worry. I've got Max's back." 

Original Cindy relaxed a little. All she had to do was stick to Max's side until Logan got there. She couldn't help but wonder who the woman was that answered the phone. 

Jondy groaned as her mobile rang out in the quiet of her dark room. Rolling over, she grabbed the phone as she and her companion fell out of the bed onto the floor. "What!" She snapped into the phone. Her tone softened when she heard Logan's voice. "Oh, hi, Logan. Can I call you back?" It was a bit hard to concentrate on what Logan was saying when she had someone kissing her neck. She certainly heard the three little words Logan uttered down the phone 'Max is sick'. "Devon!" She moved the phone away from her mouth so that she wouldn't deafen Logan. 

Devon raced into the room. An amused look crossed his face when he saw Jondy tangled up on the floor in a mass of bed sheets and whoever the guy was. 

"Need help?" 

Jondy handed her phone to Devon. "Talk to Logan and get all the details will you? We have to go visit one of my sisters for a few days." She wrapped a bed sheet around herself and untangled herself from her friend. "I'll go and put something more practical on." 

Devon nodded and left the room talking to Logan on the phone as he closed the door behind him. 

"Sorry. Family emergency, Gavin." She apologized to the man still tangled up and confused on the floor. "I don't know how long we'll be gone." She pulled some clothes on. 

Gavin stood and wrapped a sheet around his waist, just in case Devon came back in. He walked over to the petite redhead and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You're close to your family then?" He nuzzled her neck. 

Jondy nodded as she pulled her hair into a clip at the base of her neck, still keeping her barcode covered. "Especially this particular sister." She turned and kissed him goodbye. "I'll call you when I get back." She grabbed a bag out of her closet that she kept packed and raced out the door, leaving a stunned Gavin standing in the middle of the room. 

Jondy threw her bag into the back of the car and climbed into the passenger seat beside Devon. "What did Logan say was wrong with Max?" She knew it had to be bad for Logan to have called her. 

Devon started the car up and pulled out onto the road. "Manticore gave her some sort of virus. Logan was calling on his way to the hospital. Max is in critical condition and her room is being guarded. Better call the others. We can't help her if we can't get near her." 

Jondy started dialing the numbers she had memorized. "Just another family reunion," she muttered as she listened to the ringing over the phone. She grinned when she heard the voice on the other end. "Hi, it's me. How soon can you get to Seattle?" She waited for an answer. "Great. Meet us at this address." She gave her caller Logan's address and hung up. 

Devon ran through the details Logan had given him in his head. This was not going to be easy, even with the help of a load of X5s. 

"Sam. Why are there guards outside her room?" Logan was frantic. Max was too ill to move without medical help and the guards were watching everyone who went in and out of her room. "It's not as though she's dangerous. She's not even conscious." 

"Logan. I booked Max into a room, did some tests, and when I came back to check on her, the guards were here." Sam looked around him. "What the hell is going on with this girl, Logan." Sam kept his voice to a whisper. "First, you have things in your blood that shouldn't be there. Then, you get out of a wheelchair, which shouldn't be possible. Now I have a patient that has feline DNA. Care to explain that to me?" 

"No." Logan didn't have time for this. Jondy had to be close by and he had to find a way to get Max out of there. "Trust me, Sam. You're safer not knowing." In his haste to get to Max, Logan bumped into a blind man with a German Shepherd Guide Dog. "I'm sorry." 

"No problem." The man was in his early twenty's with dark hair down to the collar of his shirt. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes and made his expression unreadable. "I'm trying to find Original Cindy." 

"She's right in this room." Logan moved towards the guarded door. "I'm going in there now. Why don't you come with me?" He held his arm out so that the blind man could use him as a guide. Following a nurse into the room, they made their way past the guards. 

Once the door had closed behind them, the nurse turned around to reveal she was Jondy. "Come on. We have to move quickly." 

Original Cindy gave the petite redhead a hug. "Boy, am I glad to see you. I see you didn't get rid of the uniform. Damn, girl. How the hell did you get into that outfit?" 

Jondy chuckled. "I got Zane here to pour me into it." She walked over to the window and opened it. "Time to leave." She quickly flicked through Max's medical chart and then tossed it to Zane, who had removed the dark glasses and shoved them in the backpack he had hidden under his coat. 

"Is she alright to move?" He pulled a pair of black jeans and a sweat shirt out of the pack and tossed them to his sister. 

Jondy slipped the jeans on underneath the nurse's uniform and then undid the uniform and shoved it in the pack. "We can't leave her here. The doctors don't understand her blood work and we don't know who the guards are or who sent them." 

Original Cindy walked towards the door. "I think it's time I go and get a cup of coffee. Something tells me, I don't want to witness what you guys are up to." 

Logan caught sight of Devon, Krit, and Syl on a window cleaning ledge being lowered outside the window. "Good idea. Can you get me one as well?" 

"Sure." Cindy walked out of the room and past the guards, oblivious to what was happening outside of the room. 

"How are you with heights?" Zane slapped Logan on the back as he moved forward to help ease a stretcher in the window. 

"I'm getting better. Why?" Logan wrapped Max up in the blankets from the hospital bed and lifted her over to the stretcher while Jondy carried the drip bag. 

"You get to take the express route down." Krit grinned at Logan as he helped Devon position the stretcher on the cleaning ledge. Syl took the drip bag off of Jondy and reposition herself so that Zane's dog could fit on as well. 

Devon noticed the worried look on Logan's face. "Don't worry. Max has got the easy way down. We'll met you at the bottom." 

Krit worked the pulley cables and lowered the ledge slowly past the window. "See you down there." 

"Let's go." Zane helped his sister put the backpack on before removing a second pack from under his jacket and three harnesses. "Ready to go?" He handed Logan a harness. 

"We're climbing down the outside of the building? Are you guys nuts?" Logan didn't know if he could do this. He didn't get a chance to dispute it as Jondy grabbed the harness and put it on him. 

"We don't have time to argue about this." She slipped into her own harness. "Your Doctor friend is about to walk into this room. I'm betting he's going to want to know where his patient has gone and so are those guards." She lent out the window and grabbed the three ropes hanging outside. "Come on. I'll walk you through it." She snapped her gear onto one rope and then helped Logan. 

Zane moved onto the windowsill and then out of the window, after connecting himself onto the third rope. He dangled just below the window and helped Jondy get Logan out. "If we're gonna do this, it's gotta be now." He could hear the door opening. 

Jondy swung out of the window and pulled it closed behind her. She managed to just get out of view when the door opened. Quickly she showed Logan how to operate his gear. "Let's go." She could see Logan was panicked. "Hey. It's easy. Zane will be just below you and I'll be right beside you." She looked him straight in the eye. "You can do this. I know you can. Just don't look down." 

Logan shut his eyes for a second. Armed with grim determination he started to ease himself down the side of the building. 

Original Cindy walked back inside the hospital room to find Max and the others gone and the doctor being questioned by the guards. "What the hell have you done to my friends?" Cindy had a pretty good idea what had happened, but figured she had better try and stall the guards. 

Sam glanced over at her. "I came in to check on your friend and everyone was gone." He glared at the guards. "What the hell is going on here?" 

The guards turned silently and walked out of the room. Original Cindy strolled over to the window and looked out in time to see Zane, Jondy and Logan make it to the ground and climb into a van. She grinned to herself as she turned to find the shocked doctor still staring at the empty room. She held out the cup of coffee she had fetched for Logan. "Coffee?" 

Logan sat stroking Max's hair. This was as bad as when she had died in his arms. He looked over at Devon and Jondy who were going through the medical files and charts. "Can you save her?" 

Jondy brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face. "We've got to stabilize her first, Logan. At the moment we have no idea what Manticore has done to her." 

Devon reached out to brace himself as the van went around a corner. "At the moment we just have to try and find a way to get Max back on her feet. We'll work the rest out later." 

"Who's the woman staying at your place, Logan." Syl had been surprised to see a woman who obviously wasn't Logan's sister open the door to his apartment. 

Logan ran his hand across his face. "Sorry. I forgot to warn you about her. She's an old friend." He was exhausted and the suspicious looks that he was getting from the X5s weren't helping. "I still have all the equipment you, Bling, and Max stole. I was actually considering charging you rent." He tried to make a joke but he was too worried about Max. 

Jondy nodded. "Have you got enough room for all of us to crash at your place or shall I call Original Cindy?" 

Logan hadn't expected the extra three X5s. "You don't sleep and I figured Devon could take my room and I can take the couch. I'll call Original Cindy and see if it's alright for Krit, Syl, and Zane to stay with her." 

"Sounds fine with me." Krit waited for the van to stop before leaping out and grabbing one end of the stretcher while Zane took the other end. 

Logan glanced down at Jondy as they waited for the lift to reach Logan's floor. "What did I interrupt when I phoned." He chuckled at the puzzled look on the tiny redhead's face. "You sounded as though you were in the middle of something when you answered the phone." 

Devon burst out laughing. "More like she was in the middle of someone." Tears were running down his face, he was laughing so hard. "You should have seen the scene I walked in on." 

"I am entitled to have a life, you know." Jondy protested. She glared at Devon. "Don't think I didn't notice you checking him out either." 

The lift stopped on the floor beneath Logan's and the doors slid open. Everyone crowded together so that Max couldn't be seen. Zane's German Shepherd sat himself in front of Jondy and started growling. The man in front of the lift took a step back. 

Jondy flashed him an award-winning smile. "I'm sorry, this one's full. Would you mind taking the next one?" 

The man smiled back while casting Jondy an admiring glance. "Sure. No problem." His smile faded when Zane moved in front of his sister a grim look on his face. 

The lift doors closed and reopened on the next floor. "Do you have to be so friendly?" Zane scolded Jondy. "You don't need anymore unwanted attention." 

Logan walked in front of them and opened the door to his apartment. They sounded like any typical brother and sister, but few brothers and sisters could scale the outside of a high-rise building. He gestured to the room where all the equipment was set up. 

Max hadn't moved a fraction since he had got to the hospital. He kept hoping that she would open her eyes so that she would know that he was there with her. 

Jondy reached out and squeezed Logan's hand. "She knows you're with her." She waited for Krit and Zane to carefully move Max onto the examination table before going into the room. "The first thing we have to do is get Max's temperature down." 

"Let us know what you need and we'll go and get it." Krit picked up a pad and pen and handed it to Devon. "We'll split up. That way we'll be quicker, but harder to track." 

Syl and Zane look over Krit's shoulder as he read through the list. Syl pointed to a few things on the list. "I'll get these. I know a place close by." She headed for the door. 

Zane broke the list down further. As his dog started to follow him he stopped. "No. You stay with Jondy. She needs you more than I do at the moment." The dog walked over to Jondy and sat down at her feet. "Stay out of trouble, little sister." Zane followed Syl out the door with Krit. 

Bling smiled at Jondy. "He's very protective of you. Sort of reminds me of how Zack was with Max." He glanced over at Max. "What can I do to help?" 

"I need a basin of water and a wash cloth." Jondy reached down and stroked the German Shepherd's head. "We'll have to start this the old fashioned way until the others get back." 

Bling nodded and went to get what she needed. 

Devon took Max's pulse and blood pressure. "It's going to be a long night. I know Max is a fighter, but whatever she has seems pretty savage." 

Logan pulled a seat up beside the examination table and took hold of Max's hand. "I'm not going anywhere." 

Jondy grabbed a chair and sat down beside Logan. "What are you going to tell your friend?" She didn't know this friend of Logan's and that made her uneasy. Especially considering those guards had appeared out of nowhere. "She might start to ask questions about your little hospital in here." She let her hair loose out of the clip and ran her fingers through her long red locks. "Ahhh freedom." She giggled at the look on his face. 

"You don't like restraints of any kind, do you?" Logan laughed as she shook her head. "I don't know what I'm going to tell Asha. Guess the best bet is to keep her out of this room for starters." He removed his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. "I'd try to pass you all off as cousins but Asha's known me long enough to see right through that. There's no way the Cale family could keep that many relatives hidden." 

Jondy stretched out her limbs, looking every inch feline. She never could stand being trapped in a car or any confined space for too long. "So tell her your almost future in laws have descended on you. You have managed to farm some of them off to Original Cindy." She frowned. "It's a pity Asha's not a man. Men love me. Women hate me on sight." She shook her head. "You know, I'm so misunderstood." 

Logan laughed at Jondy's joking attempt at self pity. "I'm glad you came. I have no idea how to fix this." He held up his hand to stop her before she could correct him. "I know you don't have a cure, but you and Devon have a better chance of helping Max than anyone." He looked lovingly at Max. "Don't you leave me again." 

"She told me you wrote a poem about her." Jondy rested her hand on Logan's shoulders. "It helped her get through her incarceration at Manticore." 

Bling walked back in the room with the basin of water and washcloth. "I was going to get some groceries and something for dinner. Any requests?" 

Jondy took the basin and cloth from him and handed them to Logan. "We're not really picky eaters, just get enough to feed an army." She started flicking through the medical charts and files again. 

Bling fetched a towel, a pad, and a pen. He had seen Jondy go into research mode before and he pretty much guessed what she had wanted the water and cloth for. Handing the towel to Logan, he explained what to do. 

"You've got to bring Max's temperature down. You don't want her to get a chill so wipe her skin with the damp wash cloth but then dry her skin with the towel." 

"Got it. Thanks." Logan gently bathed Max's hot skin the way Bling had told him while Devon worked silently beside him. 

Bling watched Jondy stretch out on the floor and the German Shepherd lay down beside her. He placed the pad and pen in front of her as he walked out of the room closing the door behind him. 

Asha walked into the living room, a cup of coffee in each hand. She was sure she had heard Logan come in. "Logan?" 

"He's busy. What do you want?" Asha turned to find a well built young man with dark hair and brown eyes standing before her. She hadn't heard him walk into the room. 

"It's alright, Zane. She's an old family friend." Logan appeared from one of the rooms. "Asha, this is Zane. He's a friend's brother." 

Asha handed Logan his coffee and reached out to shake Zane's hand. "A pleasure to meet you. Will you be staying long in Seattle?" 

Instead of answering her question or shaking her hand, Zane tossed his pack to someone behind her. Asha glanced over her shoulder to see a stunning redhead behind her. Asha wasn't sure who these people were, but they were incredibly light footed. 

"I didn't realize you were expecting so many friends, Logan." When she looked back over at Logan, she saw the blond girl and the dark haired young man who had come to the apartment that morning. "So, are you all related?" 

"Yeah." Syl walked straight passed Asha and followed Jondy into the room where Max was. "Hey, little sister, when do we eat." 

Krit looked Asha up and down, but was clearly unimpressed. He too walked into the back room. "Yeah, I could do with some food." 

Zane was still watching Asha. It was clear to Logan that the X5 didn't trust her. 

"Zane. Your sister needs you. Bling went to get dinner. He'll be back soon." Logan waited until Zane had left the room. "They're not big talkers," he hastily explained. "Thanks for the coffee." He turned and disappeared into the same room as the others. 

"What the hell is going on here?" Asha muttered under her breath. Walking towards the door, she was stopped short back the largest German Shepherd she had ever seen. She took a couple of steps backwards when it started growling. "Nice doggie. Alright. Maybe I don't need to know what's going on here." 

Bling walked into the apartment to find Asha slowly backing away from Zane's dog. "Stay out of there, Asha, if you know what's good for you." He reached over the dog and knocked on the door. "Grubs up!" He walked over to the table and started to unpack a few of the groceries. When he heard the door open, he looked up to see Krit. "There's more groceries in the van. Would you mind?" 

"Sure." Krit caught the keys to the van that Bling tossed him. "Zane. Want to give me a hand." 

Zane walked out of the room and followed Krit without a word. 

"Logan, go and get something to eat." Jondy gently tugged his arm. "You won't do Max any good if you get sick as well." She gestured to Devon to take Logan out of the room. "I'll stay with Max." 

Logan knew she was right. "What about you? Aren't you going to get something to eat?" He was stalling and he could tell from the amused look on Jondy's face that she knew it. Jondy smiled at Logan. "Zane will bring something in for me." She looked over at the door as Zane walked in with a plate of food for her, right on cue. "See." 

Devon gently shoved Logan ahead of him. "Come on, Logan. You don't want to leave your friend eating with a load of X5's. The poor girl will starve." 

Zane sat down beside Jondy and handed her the plate. He waited until the door had closed behind Logan before speaking to his sister. "How bad is this, Jondy?" He knew his sister well enough to know this virus that Max had was complex enough to puzzle Jondy. "You don't know how to fix this, do you?" 

Jondy rubbed the back of her neck. She was surrounded on the floor by sheets of paper. "I have a few ideas how to slow it down, but no. I don't have an immediate cure. The thing is, I can't even slow it down if we can't get her temperature down." 

Zane started to massage her shoulders. "Tell us what to do. How can we help?" 

Jondy glanced at the closed door. "Once we get Max's temperature down I want Max to get a complete blood transfusion. Devon agrees that's the best place to start. I don't trust Asha so would you mind keeping your dog guarding the door?" She looked up at her brother. "You know I usually doze off when I give blood." 

Zane nodded. "No problem. Will the four of us be able to give Max enough blood?" 

"Five." Jondy corrected him. "I'll want to test Logan's blood first, just in case he has contracted some of the virus. Max gave him a blood transfusion last year, so we should be able to use his blood." 

Zane kissed his sister on the top of the head. "Get some food into you. We'll take shifts keeping an eye on Max. We can start donating blood in the morning. With any luck Max's temperature will be down by then." He stood and went to join the others. 

Logan sat with his elbows resting on the edge of the examination table, his head in his hands waiting for Max to wake up. The apartment was so quite, too quiet. Devon had gone too get some sleep, Jondy was in the living room stretching her limbs and giving Logan a few moments alone with Max. Zane, Krit and Syl had gone back to Original Cindy's place so that they could get some sleep. Zane had insisted that his dog stay guarding his sisters. 

"You know this sleeping beauty routine you've got going is starting to get old." Logan took hold of Max's hand. He didn't even know if he were really speaking to break the awful silence or in hope that Max would answer back. "I never realized that Zane would be so protective towards Jondy. I guess it should have been obvious considering how many similar traits you and Jondy have. They sort of remind me of you and Zack, only Zane doesn't get jealous every time some guy gets near Jondy." He waited for a response that didn't come. "You can't keep giving me the silent treatment, you don't have it in you not to bite back." 

"Logan." Her voice was barely above a whisper. She struggled to open her eyes. Everything was such a blur. "Where am I?" 

"At my apartment. Don't worry, you're safe." Logan didn't want to leave her for even a second, but he needed Jondy or Devon. 

"Look who woke up in time to join the party." Jondy walked into the room and smiled down at her sister. "It's about time. I was getting bored." She felt her sister's forehead. Her temperature had gone down. "You know if you wanted us to visit, all you had to do was call." 

Max managed a weak smile. "You know I never do things the easy way." She ran her free hand across her face. "The last thing I remember is Original Cindy and I heading for work and Rafer offering us a lift in the ambulance. What did I miss?" 

"Well you got that lift in the ambulance." Logan had flinched at the mention of Rafer's name. "Straight to Metro Medical. Original Cindy called me from the ambulance, I called Jondy from the car, then the hospital and Jondy called the others from Devon's car." 

"Hey, look who's awake." Zane and Krit followed Syl into the room wheeling a hospital bed. "About time you woke up." Zane kicked the door closed behind him. 

"Zane?" Max reached out and gave her brother a one armed hug. She looked over at the bed they had brought in. "Should I ask where you got that?" 

Syl grinned mischievously. "I found it on the way here. Thought it would be more comfortable." She glanced over her shoulder at her brothers. "Was I wrong?" 

"God, I hope not." Krit helped Zane set up the bed beside the examination table. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get one of these out of a window?" 

Bling brought a tray loaded with cups of coffee and a cup of tea for Jondy. "Hey, Max. You sure have a funny way of organizing a family reunion." He put the tray down on a nearby table. 

Jondy could see all the attention was wearing Max out. "O.k. let's move Max onto the proper bed so that she can get some rest." She gestured for her brother to grab the bottom sheet by a corner each at the end of the examination table. Syl took the top corner opposite of Jondy. Like a well oiled machine, the four X5s lifted together and carried Max and the blankets over to the hospital bed and gently put her down on it. 

Krit could see his sister was falling asleep. "So does this mean we start the blood bank donations?" 

Syl grinned. "If you need a fridge to store the blood then I know where to borrow one." 

Devon shook his head and chuckled. "Go get it. We'll start with Jondy since it's one of the few things that make her sleep. Then Logan." 

Zane looked over at Logan. "Has your blood been tested? I'm not trying to be difficult but is there a possibility that you could have contracted the virus as well?" He knew Jondy had intended to test Logan's blood but didn't think she had, had the time. 

Logan nodded. "Jondy checked my blood last night to make sure it was safe to use." He looked over to see that Max had fallen asleep. "I'd never deliberately put any of your sisters in danger like that." 

Zane put his arm around Jondy's shoulders but kept his sight on Logan. "So my baby sister tells me. I know what you did for her when she got shot. As she tells it, you're family." 

Logan reached out and shook Zane's free hand. "You have no idea how much that means to me. Now let's get Max back on her feet." He rolled up his sleeves. "What do I have to do?" 

Devon hooked Jondy up to transfer blood beside Max's bed. "Keep an eye on Jondy while she's giving blood. Syl can you go and get that fridge for us." 

Syl nodded and headed for the door with Krit. "We'll be back soon." 

A few minutes later Jondy had her head resting on her arms on the edge of Max's bed. Logan looked up to see Zane watching him. "Max does that. Falls asleep when she gives blood." He felt he needed to explain. 

"There are two people that might know of a cure. The first we don't even know if he's still alive." 

"He would be the one Joshua is trying to track down. He calls him Father." Zane filled in the blanks for Logan. "Max told Jondy about Joshua and that he was looking for Father. She didn't tell her why." Logan wasn't surprised that Max had kept Jondy mostly updated. 

"Lydecker helped me track down the second. Max actually had the money for the cure in her hands but gave it to Alec. I guess he needed it more." It was one of the things he loved about Max, the fact she put others before herself. 

"So close to being your average, ordinary, normal couple. Sort of like two steps forward and three steps back." Zane had been there before. 

Krit and Syl came back in the room with a small beer fridge and plugged it in. Syl reached forward to pull Jondy up into a sitting position so that Devon could remove the tube from her arm. 

"Have you got enough equipment to do two of us at a time?" She held her sister up until Zane had picked Jondy up and carried her out to the sofa in the living room. 

"Sure. Take a seat. I'll hook both you and Logan up." Devon had no idea if this was going to work and if it did for how long. 

Krit could hear Asha moving around the apartment. "Has your friend asked any questions about the activities going on in this room yet?" 

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't really been out of this room to be asked. You don't trust her either do you?" He could tell Zane hadn't trusted Asha on sight. 

Krit smiled. "I don't know her and neither do my brother and sisters. That's never a good thing. Not for us at least." 

Zane came back in the room. "Bling's watching Jondy." He chuckled. "I've seen that look he's giving her before." 

Asha sat in an armchair opposite Bling who couldn't seem to take his eyes off of the sleeping redhead. "Who is she?" 

Bling looked up briefly at Asha before resuming his watch on Jondy. "She's Max's sister. She and her brothers and sisters came into town for a family reunion of sorts. Don't ask too many questions Asha. They like their privacy." 

Asha managed weak smile. "So I've noticed. Believe it or not I can understand the need to stay out of sight. It's safer the fewer people know what's going on with you the better." She looked towards the closed door that Logan was behind. "Let's face it though, some people you can't help but want to try and break through the brick wall they've built around themselves." 

Jondy stirred and slowly opened her eyes. She stretched and looked around her. "Dog." The German Shepherd trotted over to her. "Want to go for a walk, I'm feeling a little cooped up." The German Shepherd nuzzled her hand in response. "Let's go then." She stood slowly. "Bling can you tell the others that we've gone for a walk." 

Bling nodded. "Sure. Are you alright to go for a walk? You're not dizzy or anything?" He thought that she looked a little wobbly on her feet. 

"I could use some fresh air myself. Why don't I go with you?" Asha offered. She felt better getting out from under Zane's eagle eye watching her, as if he could see right through her. 

"Alright." Jondy didn't know who Asha was, but she wanted her away from her sister even if it was only for a few moments. "See Bling. No need to worry Asha will go with me." 

"How do you know Logan?" Asha walked beside Jondy, amazed that the German Shepherd that forced it's way between them needed no lease. "You don't seem like an old girlfriend." 

Jondy chuckled. "No, I'm not an old girlfriend. I'm the sister of a girlfriend." She could see Asha wasn't exactly thrilled at the news that Logan had someone in his life, so she decided to change the subject slightly. "You'll have to excuse Zane being so abrupt, he's just really protective of his sisters." 

"So I've noticed." Asha appreciated the effort Jondy was making. "He seems a little more protective of you though." 

Jondy nodded. "We all had a pretty rough childhood. I just seem to hook up with the wrong people all of time. The older I got the worse they got. Zane's always had a sixth sense about people, but unfortunately he's not always close by when I need to clear a prospective boyfriend past him." 

Asha frowned slightly. "What about Devon? The two of you seem really close. What's the story there?" 

Jondy couldn't help but laugh at her. "Devon's gay. I've known him since we were little. We share a place together, strictly separate bedrooms." Suddenly she reached out to stop Asha. "Hold on a minute." 

She looked around her. They were being followed, her feline eye sight could pick up at least five men dressed like the guards at the hospital were. All of them discreetly placed thinking they were out of sight. 

Asha looked around her. "What's wrong?" She couldn't see anything to be concerned about. "What is it you see?" 

"Trouble." Jondy quickly sent a text message over her mobile to warn the others. "Any idea why we're being followed." She walked towards a nearby convenience store. 

"No." Asha followed Jondy. It seemed the best plan. "What makes you so sure that we're being followed?" She still couldn't see anything. Jondy ran up to the guy behind the store counter. She had played this game at Manticore as a child. Faking sheer panic, she quickly read the name off of his nametag. 

"Dwan, you've got to help me. My boyfriend's gone crazy. He says he's going to kill my sister and me. He's even got his brothers dressed up like soldiers chasing us." 

Dwan puffed out his chest and pulled himself up to his full height of five foot. "You ladies head out the back. I'll stall them for you." 

Jondy smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much. I promise I'll make this up to you." 

She grabbed Asha hand and pulled her out the back of the store into an alley, the German Shepherd right beside her. 

Asha could hear their pursers crashing through the store behind them. "Where the hell did they come from?" 

Jondy pulled her behind an unlocked door. Jamming the lock with a key she had in her pocket and breaking it in the lock, she headed for the front of the building. "What I want to know is, are they after you or me?" She didn't miss the nervous look that crossed Asha's face. 

"I don't know what you mean. Why would anyone be after me?" Asha had no idea what sort of trouble Logan's friends were in, but she was almost positive these people weren't after her. She was also having trouble keeping up with Jondy. 

Jondy checked the way was clear before walking out of the building and heading back to Logan's. "The way I've got it figured, you're probably one of Logan's Eyes Only friends. If you're staying with him, you're probably running from something." Jondy looked Asha straight in the eye. "Of course those guys could work for the South Africans. In that case, it's me they want." 

"Don't tell me." Asha marched into the lift behind Jondy. "You remind them of some South African goddess with your red hair and white as snow skin." She shot Jondy a sarcastic look. 

Jondy looked at Asha suspiciously. "Exactly what drugs are you on? Or have you been reading way too many fairy tales before going to bed." 

The lift doors opened, glancing down the hallway she made her way to Logan's apartment. Picking the lock effortlessly, she stormed into the apartment. "Heads up boys and girls. We're about to get company." She found the others standing around a box of guns. "Ooh party favors." 

Logan glared at Asha. "It seems Syl must be part bloodhound. Look at what she found stashed in my place. You don't happen know how they got there do you?" 

Syl grabbed a gun and armed it. "Who cares. We've got visitors coming up the hallway." She tossed a gun to Bling. "You know how to use this?" 

Bling nodded. "Do we know who we're up against? No offense, but I'd hate to shoot a girl scout selling cookies by accident." 

Krit selected himself a gun. "Since when do girl scouts come with fully automatic machine guns." He could hear the guns being armed outside the door. 

"Take your positions." Zane shoved Asha ahead of him. "You don't mind if I keep an eye on you, do you, Blondie." 

"Fine with me." Asha glared at him. "Don't expect me to be impressed with your big gun though." She dropped her sarcasm when she saw Jondy, Krit and Syl leap up into the ceiling. "What the hell are you people?" 

"Dangerous." Zane shoved his gun at her before picking her up and joining his siblings on the ceiling. "Hope you're not scared of heights." 

Logan and Devon posted themselves inside the room that Max was resting in. Bling braced himself out of sight by the door. For a moment, there was silence. Then the door came crashing down. The familiar sight of Mathew came into view followed by the guards from the hospital. 

Allowing them to pass beneath the X5s in the ceiling, their movements were quick and silent. Zane dropped Asha into Bling's waiting arms, he grabbed the gun as he let her go. 

The four X5s moved as one dropping onto the guards and rendering them unconscious within seconds. Logan and Bling moved to join them as Mathew turned around and found much to his amazement that his entire team was down. 

Jondy glared at Mathew. "I suppose I should have known it was you. You just don't take rejection well do you, Mathew. I'm surprised the South Africans haven't killed you yet. After all, you have lost me twice." 

Zane looked Mathew up and down. "This is Mathew?" He was not impressed. "Why on earth would you think someone as classy as my sister would ever be interested in you?" He looked Mathew in the eye. "You're beneath her." 

Mathew grinned. "Yeah well I'm not fussy. Beneath me, above me whatever position she chooses. Can she bring the handcuffs though?" The smile soon slid off his face when Zane's fist hit his face and everything went blank. 

Asha's jaw was practically hitting the ground. "Why couldn't I have had a brother like you?" When everyone turned to look at her she shrugged her shoulders. "What? I've always fought my own fights. I'm just saying it would have been nice to have some help." 

Syl knelt beside Mathew, who was out cold. "What are we going to with him? Cause I can think of something that could be fun." She looked up the others, a grin on her face. 

Matt marched the guards into the police station and up to the desk sergeant. "Book these guys in for an extended stay. Caught them breaking into one of the high rise apartments." As he walked away he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Last thing he had seen before leaving Logan's apartment was Krit, Syl and Zane climbing up the outside of the building like giant cats. "Talk about extreme sports," he muttered as he went to call Logan. 

Matthew could feel the breeze drift over his face as he opened his eyes and his vision cleared, he realized that he was tied up and floating beside the apartment building. Scared speechless he looked around him for a way out. 

"About time you woke up, I was getting bored." Syl was perched on the edge of the building looking down at him. "Hey, can you fly?" She motioned to her brothers to loosen the rope slightly. 

Mathew felt himself start to drop. "No!" Then he stopped. "What is it with you psycho chicks? What? You find me a huge turn on or something?" 

The window next to him opened and Jondy stuck her head out and looked upwards. "Krit, Zane! I need you to go and pick up someone for me." She gave Mathew a shove out of the way. "Now!" She shut the window as Mathew came swinging back towards it. 

Logan stared out the window watching Mathew swing back and forth. "How long are you going to leave him out there?" He looked up at Jondy who was about to connect the last bag of blood up. The one Logan had donated. 

Jondy stopped to glance out the window. "Syl needs a toy to play with. When she gets bored we'll bring him back in." She smiled down at Logan. Her smile turned to a frown. "I've been meaning to ask you, what's with the gloves? Are you cold or something?" 

Logan was surprised that Jondy didn't know. "The virus Manticore gave Max, it's designed to react with my DNA. I thought you knew. Isn't that one of the tests you did on my blood?" 

"Hell." Jondy quickly unhooked the bag before any of the blood could transfuse into Max. She pulled a chair up beside him. "Max didn't even tell me she was sick. The first I knew was when you got me on the phone the other morning. Exactly what do you know about this virus?" 

"Not much." It suddenly hit him that he could have inadvertedly killed Max if Jondy hadn't asked him about the gloves. "It's designed to react with my DNA to kill me. I guess Eyes Only pushed too many buttons at Manticore." 

"Making it impossible for the two of you to touch. Which means the implant in Max's head also has a reaction to virus as well." Jondy felt the pieces fall into place. "Logan, did Max end up back at Manticore after I got back to San Francisco?" 

Logan nodded. "I guess she didn't want to worry you. I thought you might have picked up that something was wrong when you saw all of the 'Eyes Only' broadcasts speaking out against Manticore. When there was no sign of you, I figured you were staying away because of Matthew. That way you were keeping him away from Max as well." 

Jondy placed her head in her hands. "I never saw the broadcasts. When I didn't hear from Max for a while I thought it was because the two of you were so wrapped up in each other that she didn't have time to call." She looked up as Zane and Krit came in the room. "I need you to get Lydecker for me." 

Zane looked at Jondy as if she had gone mad. "Why on earth would you want him anywhere near you or Max?" 

Jondy pushed her hair off of her face. "There's something different about Max to the rest of us. My bet is he knows what it is." She looked up at her brothers. "I want that information." 

Krit knew that look of grim determination, Jondy had on her face. He had seen it before on Max's. "Come on, Zane. Let's go catch us a rat." 

Devon walked in as Krit and Zane walked out. "I guess Syl's still playing with her new toy." At that moment Mathew swung past the window. "Yep. There he goes again." Then he noticed the look on Jondy's face. "What's wrong?" He checked the monitors that Max was connected up to. If anything she appeared to be getting better. "Where are Krit and Zane going?" 

"To get Lydecker." Logan could see Devon's concern for Jondy was genuine. "Max seems to have forgotten to fill Jondy in on a few details concerning the virus. We're hoping Lydecker can fill a few more of the blanks in." 

"Want to fill the blanks in for me while we wait?" Devon squatted down in front of Jondy. "I can't fix this for you if I don't know." He stretched out his arms. He could fix just about anything with a hug with Jondy. She never stayed down for long. 

Jondy leaned forward into his hug. This was where she felt safe. No one could hurt her or use her when Devon hugged her. "I'll tell you while you make me a cup of tea." She stood and walked out of the room taking Devon with her. 

Max stirred and opened her eyes. "You're still here?" She was surprised to see him sitting beside her still. "Where's Jondy?" 

"In the kitchen with Devon." Logan couldn't believe that Max didn't expect him to be there. "You seem to have forgotten to tell her a few things, like you were sick. Did you think you were protecting her or something?" 

Max nodded. "Something like that." She frowned as she saw Matthew swing past the window. "I think I may be delusional cause there's someone flying outside the window." 

Jondy came back into the room with Devon. Walking over to the window she leaned out again. "Syl, we made you a cup of coffee. Have you finished with your new toy." A muffled reply came back. Grabbing Mathew by the collar she pulled him closer. "If I find you anywhere near my family or me, I'll let Zane use you as a play toy." She grinned at him. "He like yoyos." She allowed him a moment to absorb the meaning behind what she was saying before signaling Syl. 

"What's that all about?" Max allowed Devon to adjust the bed so she could sit up. "What have I missed?" 

"Just your family's unique way of bonding with the outside world." Logan felt useless. The best he could do is be supportive. "How are you feeling?" 

Max took a deep breath. "Better. Like I caught up on all of the sleep I've missed out on over the years." She saw she was connected up to various tubes and machines. "Maybe you guys should tell me how I am." 

Devon checked the various monitors. "You're doing much better. You should be back up on your feet in no time." He looked up as Syl walked into the room. "What did you do with Matthew?" 

Syl shrugged her shoulders. "Last I saw of him, he was heading out of town. Guess the prospect of Zane using him as a yoyo didn't appeal to him." 

Max could feel Jondy and Logan watching her. Looking up at her sister, she saw the hurt in her eyes that Max hadn't told her the whole story. The look of despair on Logan's face didn't make her feel much better. 

"I'm better, but I'm not cured though, am I?" 

Jondy shook her head. "No. Logan's given me a bit more information to work with though. We've brought ourselves some extra time to find a cure. In the meantime we can all start looking for this Father guy and anyone else who might have a cure." 

Zane and Krit stormed back in the room with Lydecker between them and Original Cindy behind them. As before the German Shepherd sat guarding the door. 

Original Cindy strolled past the guys and went to hug Max. "Sister girl, you have seriously whack siblings. Glad they turned up though, cause you seriously freaked me out when you collapsed. Don't ever do that again." 

"You have a big problem heading your way." Lydecker had guessed Jondy was back in town when he heard the South Africans had people guarding a room at Metro Medical. "The South Africans know you're in town. I hear you took their first team out, they'll be organizing a second." 

"Which means we've gotta split up again and get out of Seattle, especially Jondy." Krit glanced over at his sister. "You and Devon can find Max's cure from home." 

"I'm not leaving." A look of grim determination was written all over her face. "None of us wants a repeat of this week." 

Zane knew where Jondy was coming from, but putting herself in danger wasn't going to help Max. "You've gotta go home, little sister. From what I hear, if the South Africans get a hold of you, you're not going to be able to help Max." 

Bling had come in the room and caught the last part of their conversation. "You can check in with Max and Original Cindy each night if you're worried about Max collapsing again. If you think they're not giving you the whole picture, then phone here." 

Max swung her legs over the side of the bed so that she was sitting completely upright. "I swear I'll tell you everything. Jondy, I don't want you to end up dead or in a cage because of me." 

Jondy knew they were right. Glaring at Lydecker she nodded in agreement to leaving. "You've got five minutes to tell me what you know about Max's DNA. Make it quick, I have to leave Seattle." 

The entire room breathed a sigh of relief. Lydecker handed her a file. 

"I don't know what the virus is made up of but everything you need to know about Max's DNA structure should be in there." He couldn't help but be proud of the way his kids worked as a team. 

Syl grabbed her gear and Lydecker's arm. "Come on. I'll drop you off on the way out of town." She stopped briefly to hug her brothers and sisters good bye. 

Krit followed Syl's lead. "Take care of my sister, Devon." He grinned at his sister's friend. "It's a tough job but somebody's gotta do it." He waved goodbye and followed Syl out the door. 

Zane hugged Max goodbye and then pulled Jondy into a hug. "Will you please try and stay out of trouble, Jondy? You know how to get hold of me if you need me." He reached out and shook Logan's hand. "Max has got a lot of people looking out for her. We'll find a cure between us." He waved to Original Cindy. "Thanks for the place to stay, Cindy." He headed for the door where Bling was standing. "She'll work out, you're the one for her sooner or later." He hadn't missed the looks Bling was giving Jondy. He slapped Bling on the back. "Patience is a virtue with that one." He walked through the door whistling for his dog. "See ya, Devon." He yelled back over his shoulder. 

Logan watched Devon and Jondy check Max's vitals and the monitors she was connected up to. "Not that I don't want Max here, but wouldn't it be safer if we moved her back to her own home?" More than anything Logan wanted to keep Max close by where he could see her. Lydecker was right though. A second team would be sent and they wouldn't be picky about which X5 they got hold of. Chances were, they would know where the first team were heading when they disappeared. 

Original Cindy had come to know Logan well enough to know he would never want Max out of his apartment if there wasn't a good reason. 

"I'll watch Sister Girl's back. Just tell me what I need to know." 

Devon hastily wrote out a list of instructions for Original Cindy. "Max heals pretty fast so these are probably just a precaution. Any problems, you know how to get hold of us." 

Original Cindy nodded. "Don't worry. We'll manage just fine and I promise I'll call if Max even sniffs funny." She hugged Devon and then Jondy. "Have a safe trip back. Make sure you call us when you get home." 

Max stood up and hugged Jondy. "Thanks for coming to help me." 

"What else would I have been doing?" Jondy mumbled. 'You can't keep things like this to yourself Max. They get one of us, they get all of us." She took a step back. "You remember that." 

Max was pretty close to tears. "I will. Next time we have a family reunion I'll try and be conscious. Try not to get shot too often, O.k." 

Jondy giggled. "Yeah, I've really got to remember to dodge those bullets." Her expression turned serious. "You call us anytime, no matter what. You know I'm usually awake." 

"You'd better get going." Bling was worried solders could break down the door at any moment. "I'll take Max and Original Cindy home." He was still standing by the door, not wanting to intrude on the family goodbye. 

Devon nodded and shook Logan's hand. "Take care. We'll call as soon as we find a cure." He could see the hope Logan was keeping carefully hidden under the surface. "Don't give up on her. These X5 women are entirely too stubborn and self reliant for their own good." He went to get his and Jondy's bags. 

Max had already unhooked herself from the tubes and monitors and was walking a little shaky, but without any help. "You know one day we'll get the timing right and have a regular normal visit." 

"Yeah but after the first few normal visits, that's just going to get boring." Jondy teased. She hugged her sister again. "I can be here in a couple of hours. I'm only a phone call away." She let go and hugged Original Cindy, then moved on to Logan. "We'll find a way to make this right, I promise." 

Logan smiled gratefully. "I know you will I'll let you know if we find anything out this end. No secrets." 

Jondy agreed as she glanced towards the door. "You might want to stress the no secrets rule with your old friend, Asha." She looked back at Logan. "Maybe it's just because I'm always running that I don't trust her. She's definitely hiding something, Logan. Call it feline intuition if you want, but don't leave it too late to find out what she's running from." 

"Jondy. Time to go." Devon's voice rang out from the living room. "You're driving. We'll get past the Sector Police easier." 

Bling chuckled. "See, you're not just a pretty face." He hugged Jondy goodbye as well. 

"No she's a great pair of legs as well." Devon reached in the door and pulled Jondy out of the room in a hurry to get back on the road. 

"Bye." Jondy managed to get out before Devon dragged her out of the apartment before she could stall any longer. 

Bling gestured to Original Cindy. "Help me find the keys to the van?" He wanted to give Max and Logan a moment alone. 

"Sure." Original Cindy caught on immediately to what Bling was doing. "Men. They can't find anything around the house." 

Max and Logan watched them go into the next room. Max looked over at Logan and they both burst out laughing. "Subtle, aren't they?" 

"Very." Logan agreed. He because serious. "You scared the hell out of me you know. I may not be able to touch you, but it doesn't mean I've stopped caring." 

Max could hear Asha moving around in the next room. Logan deserved someone who wouldn't get him killed. She couldn't help but feel guilty that caring about him could do exactly that. "Maybe you shouldn't. I can't guarantee any of us will find a cure for this virus and why should you wait around on the off chance we can." 

Logan reached out to Max, but then remembered he shouldn't and stopped. He wanted so badly to comfort her, all he could do was use words. "You know, I haven't known your sister for long. Something I've found out about Jondy is that when she makes a promise, she moves Heaven and Earth to keep it." 

Max smiled sadly. "I know." She remembered the promise she had made to Tinga's son. "Sometimes there are promises you just can't keep." She turned and walked out of the room to find Bling and Original Cindy. 

"I have to believe Jondy will keep this one." Logan spoke more to himself than anything, but he saw Max hesitate as she walked out his front door and knew she had heard him. 

Asha watched Logan staring out of the window into the darkness. He had been doing that a lot since his friends had left a couple of days ago. 

"What is it you see when you stare out that window?" 

Logan turned and smiled. "Promise. Hope." He wandered over and sat opposite Asha on the sofa. "Who knows what tomorrow will bring." It was then he saw the envelope on the coffee table with his name on it. Frowning he opened it to find cash inside and a note that just had the word 'RENT' on it. 

"The eternal optimist, aren't you?" Asha smiled back at him. She couldn't see what was in the envelope. "You always were. Unusual friends you have these days, not to mention very attractive." She teased. 

Logan tried to hold back the smirk threatening to cross his face. "Yeah. I think it's in the family genes." 

Before Asha could ask any more questions the phone rang. Logan picked it up quickly before Bling could answer it the other room. "Hey, Cindy." 

"Hi, Logan. Thought I'd let you know Devon phoned to let us know they got back to San Francisco safely and the others have checked in as well." Original Cindy chuckled as she recalled what Devon had told them, they had discovered on returning home. "Here's some news Bling might be interested in. Jondy and Devon get back to their crib and Jondy walks into her room to find the guy she's been dating, Gavin, I think Devon said his name was. She caught him doing the wild thing with another woman in her bed. It turns out, Sister Girl's got a temper to match that red hair of hers. Gavin was last see hanging by his ankles from the Golden Gate Bridge completely naked." 

Logan burst out laughing. "I always thought Jondy was too quiet. They say you have to watch the quiet ones." 

Original Cindy knew what he meant. "Well, Sister Girl certainly found her inner bitch. Gotta go. Said I'd have dinner ready when Max got back. She needed a bit of space and fresh air." 

Perched on her usual seat on the Space Needle, Max wondered who would get to her first. Her money was on Jondy. Nobody was as determined as her sister. She didn't even know if Father Sandman was still alive. The real question was, would the virus beat them all and get to her and Logan first. 

Around America the other X5s were wondering the same thing--Jondy on top of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Krit on top of the Empire State Building in New York, Syl on top of one of the Casinos in Las Vegas, and Zane on top of the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. It was just one more thing for them to search for. One more hope for a brighter tomorrow, together. 

_The End_


	6. Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty

**"Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty "**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of John, Dianne, Nigel, Devon, Warren Richards, Snake Girl, the five intruders and Julia however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

When Max goes to San Francisco to visit Jondy, they both go into heat making it and interesting visit for both Max and Logan. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs after "Proof Of Purchase".

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

Perched on her usual place on top of the Space Needle, Max wondered for what must have been the hundredth time whether she would ever truly fit in the city twinkling below her. She and Logan kept their distance from each other and stayed in contact mainly by phone. It was more a case of Max staying away than Logan. Although Logan faced more than his share of danger, Max lived in fear that his death would be from her touch. It was that fear that kept her away. Max had been afraid before, but this fear consumed her. 

She sighed as she realized that she had a few days off coming up. Normally she would nag Logan into driving somewhere with her for a break from Seattle. She couldn't do that this time. Perhaps she could visit Jondy and Devon. Jondy was always asking her to visit. It would be fun. Feeling slightly brighter Max headed back to her apartment. 

To the outside world, Jondy and Devon appeared to be a couple that had been together for years. With Devon's arm draped casually around her shoulders, Jondy walked comfortably beside him. No one could have guessed from their appearance, that they were more like brother and sister than girlfriend and boyfriend. 

Jondy frowned slightly. "What's the red rectangle marked on the calendar for?" They had decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air since they had been working on a cure for Max's virus when they weren't at their respective jobs. 

Devon shook his head. "I can't remember. I know it was important. I'll remember later." He tended to get so involved in his work that things just tended to slip his mind. Most of the time he told Jondy anything he needed to remember. 

Jondy watched the sky turn pink and purple as the sun set. "We'd better get back. I have to be at the bar in an hour." 

Devon nodded. "I'll leave my notes beside the computer. That way you'll know where I'm up to when you get home from work." Unlike Jondy, Devon would have to get some sleep before heading to his job in the morning. As they both made their way to their apartment door, they saw a woman sitting on a suitcase beside it. "Oh hell." Devon muttered under his breath. "I think I know why I marked the calendar." 

The woman stood and stretched out her arms. "Devon! There you are. You forgot to tell Jessica I was coming to stay for a few days, didn't you?" 

Devon gave his mother a hug. "Yeah, Mom, but I remembered to mark it on the calendar and Jessica saw the calendar." 

"Then you couldn't remember what the mark on the calendar was for." Julia Saunders knew what her son's memory was like. She beamed at Jondy and gave her a hug. "Hello Dear. Honestly, if you weren't here my son would probably forget to eat." 

Jondy chuckled as she waited for Devon to unlock the door. "Oh he'd remember sooner or later. It's just usually later." She caught the nervous look on Devon's face as she carried Julia suitcase in. "I hate to rush off, but I have to get changed for work." 

Julia smiled at the petite redhead. "Don't worry. I thought Devon might not, though. We'll catch up in the morning." 

"I'll be back in a minute, Mom. You'll need an extra blanket." He followed Jondy into her room and shut the door behind him. "Help." 

Jondy grabbed a clean shirt and a pair of black jeans out of her closet. "Let me guess: Not only did you forget your mother was visiting, you also forgot to tell her you were gay." 

Devon winced. "Sort of. Mind if I share your room for the next few days?" 

Jondy shot him a scolding look. "You're going to have to tell her some time." She rolled her eyes. "Fine, but if you start snoring, I'm kicking you out of bed." 

Devon hugged his tiny friend. "Thank you. I swear I'll tell her before she leaves." He grabbed a spare blanket off of the shelf in Jondy's closet and went back out to his mother. 

Nigel watched the dark haired beauty walk into his bar. He hadn't seen a woman attract this sort of attention since Jessica had started working there. Every male in the place watched her walk towards the bar. "Can I help you, Miss?" She seemed to be looking around the bar for someone. 

"Yeah. Is Jessica here?" Max flashed the bartender a quick smile. She actually wondered if Jondy was working tonight. 

Nigel banged on the bar wall. "Jess! Someone's here to see you." He turned back towards Max. "Are you an old school friend?" 

Max shook her head. "No. I'm her sister." She giggled at the confused look on Nigel's face. "I'm Max." She reached out and shook Nigel's hand. Then she spotted Jondy appearing from out the back of the bar. 

"Hi. What are you doing here?" Jondy gave her sister a hug, then pulled back, a frown on her face. "You're not sick again?" 

"No I'm fine. Just thought I'd spend some time visiting my sister." Max appreciated Jondy's concern for her. "Is it alright if I crash with you?" 

Jondy nodded. "Sure if you don't mind taking the sofa. Devon's mother is staying with us at the moment." She rolled her eyes. "He forgot to tell me she was coming and he also forgot to tell her that he was gay." 

Max burst out laughing. "Let me guess. Mother Saunders thinks that you and Devon are a couple which just makes her burst with pride as she has always looked on you as a daughter." 

"Something like that." Jondy's eyes started roaming up and down the nearest male's body. "Looks like we've got some first timers in here tonight, Nigel." 

Max turned to look. "There are some fine looking men in San Francisco." She headed for the dance floor with Jondy right beside her. 

Nigel shook his head and chuckled. Picking up the phone, he dialed Devon's home number. "Damn. Engaged." He shrugged his shoulders. He would keep an eye on the sisters and try the number again in five minutes. 

Devon answered the knock on the door. "Logan. What are you doing here?" He shook his friend's hand and then stood aside to allow him to enter the apartment. 

"I have to see an informant here in San Francisco tomorrow." Logan raised his eyebrow when he saw the woman who was speaking on the phone. "Thought you and Jondy might have the answers for a couple of questions I have." Devon obviously had company and he didn't want to intrude. Devon followed Logan's gaze. 

"She's my mother. Did you need a place to crash cause the sofa's still free." He lowered his voice slightly. "Mom doesn't know that Jondy and I aren't a couple." 

Logan instantly got the hidden meaning behind Devon's comment. "Ok. Thanks, the sofa would be great." 

At that moment Julia put the phone down. She didn't look old enough to be Devon's mother. The years had been good to her. She reached out to shake Logan's hand. "Hello. I'm Julia Saunders, Devon's mother." 

Logan shook her hand. "Logan Cale. Friend of the family, so to speak." He made pleasant small talk with Julia while Devon answered the ringing phone. 

"Hell. I knew there was an important reason I marked the calendar." Devon glanced over at his mother. "Not that you aren't important, Mom." He turned to Logan. "That little chemical imbalance the girl's get has kicked in. Jessica's boss at the bar just phoned. I think we'd better get our girls home before they do some serious damage." 

Logan followed Devon out the door. He waited until he was out of earshot of Devon's mother. "Ok. I get that Jondy's in heat, but you said girls, not girl." 

Devon was surprised Logan didn't know. "Max is in town. At least Nigel says that was what Jessica's sister said her name was. You two have a fight or something?" 

"Or something." Logan climbed into Devon's car. "I know Jondy and Max are known as the Manticore twins, but you can't tell me they both go into heat at the same time." 

Devon shrugged his shoulders. "This time they have." He drove towards the bar. "When we get there, you grab Jondy, I'll grab Max and we'll figure out how to explain this to my mother on the way home." 

Logan looked at his friend in amazement. "Sounds like you've got this down to a fine art. How often does this happen?" 

"About three times a year." Devon pulled the car up in front of the pub. "It was Jondy's boss who called me. I sort of put a system in place once Jondy and I figured out that she was going into heat and not just losing her mind." 

It took exactly five seconds to spot the two women. They were dancing seductively in the center of a large group of men. Logan saw Devon wave to the bar tender. Following Devon's lead, Logan pushed his way through the crowd and grabbed Jondy. Quickly he slung her over his shoulder and headed for the door. Then he felt a huge hand clamp down on his shoulder. 

"Where do you think you're going with her?" The voice came from a huge man with arms the size of tree trucks, which were covered in tattoos. Logan had to think quickly. "We're taking our wives home. They shouldn't be in here when they're off their medication." 

It seemed as though the entire bar took a step backwards to let them pass. Logan started moving quickly towards the door again, never once looking back. He carefully put Jondy into the back of the car before climbing into the front. The two women seem to find the whole thing highly amusing, as they burst into giggles as Devon drove them home. Devon watched them in the rear vision mirror. 

"You can laugh now, but just wait till we have to explain this to my mother." He frowned at Jondy when she started nuzzling his neck. "You know you're not going to get past me that way." It actually scared him when Jondy got like this. For the most part, Jondy was shy, quiet and took a while to get used to new people. That was why the bar was the best place for her to work. It was the last place Manticore would look for her. 

Devon and Logan marched the two sisters up to the apartment like naughty little school girls. The toughest part would be keeping Logan and Max from touching. All sense and reason went out the window when the X5 women were in heat. 

Julia looked up as the foursome walked into the apartment. Apart from looking a little flushed, she couldn't see anything wrong with the two women. "Everything alright?" 

Devon quickly introduced Max to his mother. "Max and Jessica have a sort of family condition where they have a chemical imbalance for a few days, two or three time a year." 

Julia frowned. "I have no idea what you are talking about, but what can I do to help?" 

Logan could only see two bedrooms and one sofa. "Well, I'm guessing that Max is sleeping on the sofa, so do you have a sleeping bag and a pillow I can use and I'll take the floor." He thought it best to sort out the sleeping arrangements quickly. "I can keep an eye on the ladies half the time and you can take the other half." 

Devon nodded. "Sounds good to me. I can phone in sick at work, they know the drill anyway. That way you can still make your meeting tomorrow." He quickly caught Jondy's hand that was making its way further down his back. "Mom, we sort of need to keep Jess and Max in the apartment for a few days." 

"Fine." Julia was highly amused at the sight of Devon trying to stop Jondy's roaming hands. Max looked as though she could happily pounce on Logan. "I think I'll turn in for the night." She said good night and went into her room. 

Logan sat down on the sofa. "This is going to be a long few days, isn't it?" He couldn't help but chuckle when Devon untangled himself from Jondy and made her sit down beside Logan. 

Devon wasn't quite sure how they were going to get through this. Dealing with Jondy in heat was one thing, but two X5s? Even with Logan's help there was the virus problem. Then he remembered a comment Logan had made when he had arrived earlier. "What were the questions you needed answers for?" 

Logan suddenly found himself the center of attention. "It's about the virus. Is there a way it can be transferred without Max and I making contact?" His question seemed to bring Jondy and Max back to earth for a moment. 

"Could be if a third party was involved." Jondy thought his question through carefully. "For instance a dog licking your face, it would still be transference through saliva." She saw Max screw up her nose. "What about children? Have you both been in touch with any children?" 

Logan nodded. "We looked after my niece a few weeks ago. She's four years old. You think that's how it could have happened?" 

"That makes sense." Max thought about that day. "Your niece kissed me goodbye, then you. A few minutes later we were rushing you to the hospital. I know it turned out to be only chickenpox but it could have easily been the virus." She noticed her sister's hand had started moving up Logan's thigh. "Jondy!" 

Jondy frowned. "What?" She looked down at her hand. "Sorry." She got up and walked to the other side of the room and started to pace. "Kids your niece's age tend to be sloppy kissers. I'd say you've found your third party." She headed for a closed door. "I've got some work to do, so I'll see you all in the morning." 

Devon watched Jondy with concern. "Are you two going to be alright out here alone? I just want to check on Jondy." He waited for Max and Logan to nod before following Jondy. 

Max stayed at one end of the sofa with Logan at the other. "So how come you came to San Francisco?" Max tried to keep her mind on something other than how damn sexy Logan was looking. 

"I have to meet an informant tomorrow morning close by." Logan could see Max was struggling for control. "How can I help, Max?" 

"I just have to keep busy." Max pulled her knees up under her chin and hugged her legs. She glanced over at the door that Jondy and Devon were behind. "I wonder how they get through this usually?" 

At that moment Devon came out of the room with his arms full of board games. "Jondy suggested you might be able to put these to use. Use a set of dice each just in case." Devon was pretty sure that Max's virus couldn't be contracted from a set of dice, but it paid to be careful. 

Max smiled up at him gratefully. "Thanks, Devon. Is Jondy alright?" She knew better than anyone how hard their condition was to control. 

Devon nodded. "She'll be fine. A bit embarrassed, but fine. As long as she keeps busy I don't think we'll have too many problems." He turned and went back into the back room and closed the door behind him. 

Logan moved the coffee table a bit closer and looked through their choice of games. "What do you want to play?" 

Max grabbed the first box. "Let's just start at the top and work our way down." She opened the box, but left Logan to set up the game. Glancing at the lid she saw that they were starting with scrabble. "Great, a word game. This could be interesting." She sat down on the floor at the end of the coffee table. 

"You start." Logan pulled a pair of gloves on just to be safe. It was more to ease Max's mind, as he was sure he couldn't catch the virus from touching hands. 

An hour later they were both laughing over some of the words that were coming up. Devon had come out once to check on them and raise an eyebrow at the choice of words on the board. When they moved on to play Monopoly, Logan was sure that Max was somehow cheating, but remained quiet about it as it was keeping Max occupied. 

Jondy glanced at her watch. Two o'clock in the morning. She stood up and stretched her limbs. Devon had gone to get a couple of hours sleep an hour ago. She was getting frustrated that she couldn't find a way to cure Max's virus. She seemed to keep coming close, but not close enough. Jondy glanced towards the door when she heard Max and Logan chuckle. She envied them. Sure they couldn't touch but they still had each other. If either of them needed help, they could rely on each other. Eventually they would find a way to get past the virus and/or cure it. With a deep sigh, Jondy went back to work. 

Julia was surprised to see Logan and Max still playing board games when she got up the next morning. She had a fair idea judging from her past visits that Jondy was working on something in the back room and Devon was probably catching up on some sleep. It had become a routine on her visits now. Making her way to the kitchen, she started breakfast, knowing that Jondy would come to help her as soon as she smelt the food cooking. 

Logan looked up as Jondy walked out of the back room and into the kitchen. A few minutes later Devon came out of a different room and started to set the table. Logan chuckled. They almost seemed like an ordinary couple. He looked at his watch, he still had a couple of hours before he had to meet his informant. 

Julia watched Jondy cautiously. "When is Devon going to tell me that he is gay? Convincing as you are, I've had a feeling for sometime that you were just good friends." 

Jondy wasn't surprised. Julia Saunders was a smart woman, who didn't miss much. "He'll tell you when he's ready. I think he's worried that you'll be disappointed in him for some reason." 

Julia nodded. "That could be partly my fault. I always told Devon that I wanted grandchildren. I made it seem so important. The truth is although I would love grandchildren, I just want my only child to be happy." 

Jondy grinned. "Who knows. Maybe he'll adopt and you'll get everything you want." At that moment Devon walked in and gestured with his head to Max and Logan, still playing games. Jondy giggled. "They look like they're having fun." 

Devon nodded. "You any closer to helping them with their problems?" Jondy had been working non-stop all night and she looked worn out. When she shook her head, he gave her hug. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out." 

They all ate breakfast together with only the occasional case of Jondy and Max's hands not staying where they could be seen. After helping clear the table, Logan left to meet his informant. Despite the fact that he hadn't had any sleep all night, he was in quite a good mood. With any luck, the person he was going to meet would give him enough information to help shut down a child prostitution ring. 

Logan pulled the van in close to the building that he had arranged to meet the contact in. Cautiously he made his way up to the second floor. Knocking on the apartment door that he had been given instructions to, Logan looked around him to make sure he hadn't been followed. 

The door opened a crack and someone peered out at Logan. "Eyes only send you?" The person behind the door waited for Logan to nod before opening the door fully. Logan's contact was a man in his sixties, not very tall and had a limp. "Sorry about this. My wife and I managed to get some of the girls out last night so we weren't sure who might end up at our door." 

Logan nodded that he understood. "Thanks for meeting with me. Where are the girls now?" The apartment was small, but tidy with everything carefully put in the perfect place for each item. 

The man pointed towards a door. "They're in the back with my wife, Dianne. We had a problem with one of the girls. We think she may be ill." The man knocked on the door. "Dianne, honey. The man we were expecting has arrived. Open up the door." 

Logan heard the door being unlocked. The door slowly opened to show a room full of young girls sitting around an older woman. None of the girls looked over fifteen. "John, we may have to take her to a hospital." The girl in Dianne's arms looked to be peeling. 

Logan took a few steps forward and knelt down in front of them. Apart from her skin, the girl appeared to be fine. Logan smiled at the frightened girl. "Hi. I'm Logan. I have a couple of friends that know all about medicine. How about we go and see them." The girl watched him cautiously for a moment and then smiled and nodded. 

A loud crashing noise outside startled them. Running to the window John's look of surprise turned to horror. "They're coming. You'll have to take the girls." He shoved a folder into Logan's hand. "Here's everything you need to know." He quickly ushered Logan and the girls out the door and towards the back stairs. 

Logan grabbed hold of John's arm as he headed back towards the apartment. "Wait. You and Dianne are coming with us." He couldn't leave them behind. 

John shook his head. "No. We'll be fine. Just get the girls some place safe." He jerked his arm free and raced back to his apartment. 

The sound of footsteps running up the front steps was all that kept Logan from running after John. His first priority had to be the girls. Pointing down the stairs, he rushed the girls down the stairs and towards the van. It would take some explaining to Devon's mother, but the safest place to take the girls was to Devon's and Jondy's. 

"Well, Julia, you wanted grandchildren." Jondy looked up at Devon's mother from where she was examining the girl with peeling skin. "Looks as though you now have twelve granddaughters." 

Julia was still trying to get over her amazement at twelve girls of different nationalities being brought into her son's apartment. "This wasn't quite what I meant, but beggars can't be choosers, I suppose." 

"Any idea what's wrong with her?" Max knelt beside her sister. She had never seen anything like what was happening to this girl's skin before. 

"I have a theory." Jondy raised an eyebrow. "Devon, do you remember that pet snake you used to have when we were kids?" She looked over her shoulder to see him nod. "Remember how it used to shed its skin?" Every grown up in the room looked confused. "She's not ill." Jondy moved the girl's hair aside to reveal a barcode. "She transgenic." 

Logan looked at the girl in amazement. "So she's shedding her skin? You think that she has snake DNA?" 

Devon looked at the skin on the girl's arm. "It would appear so." He looked over at Logan. "What's going to happen to these girls?" They had discovered on their arrival that most of the girls couldn't speak English, so Max and Jondy were having to translate in several different languages. 

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "According to the file John gave me, they're all orphans. They will probably all end up in orphanages unless I can find them homes." 

Devon caught the look on Jondy's face and immediately knew what was going through the redhead's mind. "That's a lot of responsibility, Jess." He could see her mind was made up. He didn't mind though. "I guess we'd better start looking for a bigger place to live." It was worth it just to see the smile that lit up her face as she hugged him. "Just don't expect a big Christmas present." 

Max had never seen her sister so happy. "Can you get the paperwork all sorted out so they have the girls legally?" She turned to Logan. 

He grinned at the sight of Jondy explaining everything in several different languages. "Sure. I'll get right on it." He dialed a number on his cell phone and walked into another room so that he could hear. A few minutes later he returned. "It should be all set by morning." 

"I have a question." Julia's voice broke through the happy chaos. Everyone fell silent and turned to look at her. "What is transgenic?" 

Devon put his arm around his mother's shoulders and guided her into the kitchen. "There's a few things I have to tell you, Mom." 

Max was happy for her sister, but it meant Jondy would be too busy to find a cure for the virus. She forced a smile. "Looks like you're going to have your hands full." She sat down beside her sister on the floor. 

Jondy beamed at her sister. "Yeah, but it doesn't mean that Devon and I won't keep looking for a cure. You sort of need two cures. One to get rid of the virus from you. And one to heal Logan's reaction to the virus in you." 

Max felt a sense of relief wash over her. "Well, the second one would certainly save on trips to the hospital. I had to call Asha the last time to help me get Logan to the hospital." 

Jondy frowned. "Why didn't you just call an ambulance?" 

Max winced. "I panicked. It was Logan. The only thought I had was that I had killed him and I didn't even know how it had happened." 

Jondy hugged her sister. "I know we keep saying this and it's not much reassurance at the moment, but I promise Devon and I will find a cure." 

Logan stood behind the two sisters. "I'm sure you will." He looked around him. "Where are all of these girls going to sleep?" 

"I'll go and ask the neighbors for some sleeping bags. It'll be like an indoor camping trip." Jondy started towards the door, but Logan blocked her way before she could leave. "What?" 

Logan grinned at her. "How about you phone the neighbors? If any men answer the doors, we won't see you for a few hours." 

"Busted." Max giggled at her sister's face. "Where are the phone numbers? I can call them. I think the girls are hungry, have you got enough food?" 

Jondy nodded as she handed Max a list of phone numbers. "Devon always makes sure we have enough to feed an army." She turned and headed into the kitchen leaving Max and Logan alone with the girls. 

"Well, let's see if we can keep you girls busy until dinner is ready." 

Logan laid the board games at on the floor while Max made the phone calls. He had gotten into the habit of putting his gloves on every time he was near Max. Luckily every girl found at least one game they knew how to play. After a while Max came and sat down beside him, making sure that she kept a safe distance away. Logan noticed that she was fidgeting a bit. 

"You alright?" 

Max nodded, but wouldn't look at him. She and Jondy still had about twelve hours that they were in heat left. She looked up when Devon tapped her on the shoulder. "What's up?" 

"Why don't you help Jondy and my mother." Devon rolled his eyes. "Jondy can't seem to keep busy enough. If she makes me drop anymore plates we won't have anything to eat off of." 

Max tried to suppress a grin. "Sounds like a good idea." It was getting more and more difficult, sitting beside Logan and not being able to touch him. 

Devon took her place in the game she had been playing. "What's going to happen to the people behind the prostitute ring these girls were forced into?" Devon glanced at Logan. The lack of sleep was starting to show on him. 

Logan rubbed the back of his neck. "I have a friend in the San Francisco police department. They've been looking for the people behind this for a while. They just about gave me a key to the city when I sent them the information John Danks gave me this morning. They are picking them up as we speak." He looked towards the kitchen. "How do you usually help Jondy get through being in heat? Max was wondering about it last night." 

Devon laughed. "Why do you think we have so many board games?" He looked around him slightly saddened by his thoughts. "You know, if I were straight, I'd consider myself the luckiest man in the world. A beautiful woman that can't keep her hands off me, just adopted twelve daughters and I have a job that allows me to help others and get paid very well." 

"But you're gay." Logan finished off his train of thought for him. "And although you love the beautiful woman who can't keep her hands off of you, you're not in love with her and it's just a chemical imbalance on her part." 

"Yeah. I guess I've still got it easier than you." Devon watched the girls communicating with each other via hand signals. "It must just about kill you, being in love with a woman you can't touch because it will kill you." 

Logan forced a smile. "Well, I have to have faith that you and Jondy will find a cure." He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Mind if I go and get a couple of hours sleep?" 

Devon pointed towards Jondy's room. "Sure. Go in there. Mom and I will keep Max and Jondy out here." 

Logan smiled his thanks and headed into the bedroom. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow. As usual his dreams were filled with Max. The thought of the Manticore virus keeping them apart forever was more than he could bare, so he just didn't even consider the possibility. 

A few hours later he woke feeling considerably more refreshed. As he walked out of the room, Logan saw that the girls were all asleep in their sleeping bags. Devon was sitting on the sofa going through some notes Jondy had made. As Logan got around the other side of the sofa, he saw that Jondy was curled up asleep with her head resting on Devon's lap. Her hand was wrapped around his leg as if it gave her some sense of security. Max was also curled up asleep on the sofa, her head resting on Jondy hip. 

"Did you manage to catch up on some sleep?" Devon kept his voice low so that he wouldn't wake the sleeping children. 

Logan nodded. "They look so peaceful," he whispered gesturing to Max and Jondy. "Seeing them like that, it's hard to believe that they are constantly having to look over their shoulders." He wondered how their situation would affect the twelve girls that Jondy and Devon spontaneously adopted. "Is it going to be a problem considering you now have twelve daughters?" 

"I don't think so." Devon stroked Jondy's hair. "Jondy's Manticore training always kicks in, when somebody she cares about is in danger." He caught the confused look on Logan's face. "She was trained to be the distraction. When the South Africans got close to catching me, Jondy led them in the opposite direction. It's a reflex with her and nobody can reason with her when she's got her mind set." 

Logan chuckled. "I know. It seems to be a family thing. I gave up trying to stop Max from racing head first into danger especially when it came to her family. It doesn't make you worry any less knowing that they can take care of themselves either, does it?" 

Devon shook his head. "No it doesn't." He looked at his watch. "Only a few more hours to go. I'm really tempted to let them both sleep through the rest of their condition. Jondy would kill me if I did. She wanted to get some work done before morning." 

Logan hated to disturb the two women as well, but Jondy would want to try and find the cure while the girls were asleep. He knew that Max and Jondy didn't need the sleep anyway. He watched Devon gently shake Jondy awake. 

"I'm awake, stop shaking me," Jondy grumbled pushing her hair out of her face. "I would have thought that you'd enjoy the fact that I'm sleeping instead of groping you." 

"And I really do enjoy you sleeping through being in heat, but," he kissed the top of her head, "you get so grumpy if I let you sleep more than an hour. You say it gives you a headache." 

"Oh yeah." Jondy moved her legs waking Max up. "I'm going to have a bath." She picked up the pad of notes that Devon had been reading though. "Have you come up with anything new?" 

Devon rubbed his leg where she had been hanging onto it while she was asleep. "Yeah I think you cut the blood circulation off in my leg. Apart from that, nothing." 

Jondy headed for the bathroom. "Be grateful my hand wasn't higher." She stopped briefly to tuck one of the girls in before disappearing into the bathroom closing the door behind her. 

"I need some coffee." Max mumbled as she sat up. "Anyone else want one?" Both Logan and Devon nodded as she moved past them and walked into the kitchen. 

Logan sat staring towards the kitchen while he chatted quietly with Devon. "Does Jondy avoid using guns?" It was something he had noticed about Max and had never asked about the reason behind it. 

Devon looked surprised at the question. "When she can. Did Max never tell you about Eva?" He thought it would have been one of the first things Logan would have found out about Max. 

Logan thought back to all of the conversations he and Max had ever had. "I think so. Eva was their sister. Didn't she die at Manticore?" 

Devon nodded. "Eva had a gun pointed towards Lydecker. Jondy doesn't go into details, but basically Lydecker killed Eva. Not long after that the twelve X5s escaped from Manticore. I think Max and Jondy have avoided using guns when they can ever since." 

"The trauma of watching their sister being killed stuck with them all of this time." Logan shook his head in disbelief. "I suppose Manticore assumed their genetically engineered soldiers would just get over it." 

Suddenly the front door came crashing down. Five men walked over the broken door. 

"I believe you have something that belongs to Warren Richards," one of the men sneered at Logan. He glanced over at the frightened girls huddling behind Devon and Logan. "I'll give you this much, you're pretty hard to track down." He glared at the bathroom door where the sound of splashing was coming from. 

Another one of the men went over to the bathroom door and opened it to reveal Jondy up to her neck in bubbles, her red hair piled on top of her head in a mass of fiery curls. Her long shapely legs were crossed at the ankles and propped up on the edge of the bath. 

"Can I help you?" She looked unalarmed by the stranger standing in the doorway with a gun in his hand. She smiled at him sexily. "My, what a big gun you have." 

Logan and Devon passed each other panicked looks as the man walked into the bathroom and closed and locked the door behind him. There was the sound of splashing for a moment and then silence. 

In the bathroom Max handed Jondy a towel while the stranger lay unconscious on the bathroom floor. Jondy quickly wrapped the towel around her and helped Max tie and gag the unconscious man. "Have I told you lately how much I hate being the distraction," she whispered. 

Max grinned at her sister. "No. Do you think we can get those girls into Julia's room without the others noticing?" She looked up at the ceiling vent she had come in through. "Maybe we can signal snake girl. She would have been trained in all of the signal at Manticore." 

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "It's worth a try. Can we climb into my room so that I can get some clean clothes on first." 

Max faked a surprised look. "What you can't fight in that." Her surprised look changed to a mischievous grin as she glanced at the towel Jondy was wearing. 

"I will if you will. Besides you don't want the towel to slip in front of Logan, do you?" Jondy pointed out. 

"Good point," Max muttered as she leaped up into the ceiling. She started to make her way towards Jondy's room with Jondy right behind her. 

In the living room everyone looked up as they heard movement in the ceiling. "What's that?" The leader of intruders aimed his gun at Devon. 

"Cats," Devon calmly replied. "I have two cats. They like to play in the ceiling vents. Hold on I'll get them down for you." He turned his back on the men and started calling up to the ceiling. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty." He suddenly noticed that half of the girls had disappeared. 

Before he could signal Logan, the two X5 women came crashing through the ceiling, taking out two of the four men left over. The remaining two men aimed their weapons at the two women, but couldn't get a clear shot as the X5s were moving too fast. The bullets were just flying into the walls. 

Logan grabbed a gun off of one of the fallen men and brought the end of the weapon down across the shoulders of the man nearest him. Devon followed Logan's lead. Pretty soon all of the intruders were tied up in the bullet-ridden living room. 

"Everyone alright?" Logan was amazed to find all of the girls gone. "Um. We seem to be missing twelve people." 

"Julia! It's safe to bring them back out," Max called out. She noticed a stray bullet had caught Jondy. "You remember that you're supposed to dodge the bullets right?" She stared at the growing red spot on Jondy's white shirt. 

Jondy rolled her eyes as Devon guided Jondy to the sofa and carefully removed her shirt to get a better look at the wound. "I don't know why I even bother to wear white." 

Julia had gone to get the first aid kit. She gasped in shock when she saw the scars on Jondy's body. She handed the first aid kit to her son. 

"How often does this happen." She referred to the intrusion. 

"Not often." Jondy smiled at the concern on Julia's face. "Don't worry. My family has a history of healing fast." She looked over at the transgenic girl. "Congratulations. You got the others to safety in record time." 

The young girl beamed at the praise given to her. She had heard about the twelve X5s that had escaped when she was at Manticore. It wasn't until she had seen Max signal her from the ceiling that she realized that the escaped X5s weren't just a story someone had made up. 

Logan sat on the coffee table and checked out Jondy's wound that Devon was cleaning. It looked pretty bad. "Looks as though you're going to need a couple more nights off work. That should give you a bit of time to go house hunting." He looked up to see that Jondy was looking quite embarrassed at the attention she was getting. "It's over, isn't it?" He didn't wait for a reply. The period of the X5s being in heat had past, Logan could tell by how self conscious Jondy was of being dressed in just a pair of jeans and a bra. He made his way to her room and got a fresh shirt for her. 

Jondy smiled gratefully as Logan helped her slip into the clean shirt while Devon finished dressing her wound. Logan grabbed her blood stained shirt and went to soak it for her. 

Max looked at the mess the apartment was in. "I guess this means you loose the bond on this place. Unless you want some help fixing it up." 

"We own the apartment." Devon buttoned up Jondy's shirt for her as though she were a fragile child. "It just means we won't get much for it when we sell." He looked at the men tied up on the floor. "What are we going to do with them?" 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "I guess Logan will phone his contact in the police department to come and pick them up. That reminds me, I'd better get the one out of the bathroom." She headed for Jondy's room as the bathroom door was still locked from the inside. 

Julia sat down on the sofa slightly stunned. "Well, I have to give it to you two, you never make my visits boring." 

The following night Max and Jondy sat on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

"I can't believe you're now the mother of twelve daughters," Max giggled as the breeze whipped through her long dark hair. 

Jondy looked down at the city below them. "Neither can I. I couldn't let them go to orphanages though. It's too much like the way we grew up. With no parents." 

Max understood. "Well, they have parents now. Pretty damn good ones too." She hugged her sister. "So where do you think you're going to live?" 

Jondy took a deep breath. "Well, Devon and I talked about it. We both have quite a bit of money saved, considering we don't really go out much cause we're usually being followed. I get really good tips at the bar and Devon's job pays well. I saw a hotel up for sale, so we decided to buy it. The girls will be able to have their own rooms and we can use a room for a lab." 

"You've thought of everything, haven't you?" Max knew that despite their problems, Jondy and Devon would make a safe home for the girls. "I take it that you have spare rooms for unexpected family members." 

"Of course. We realized that if one transgenic could make it this far from Manticore, then there are probably others. We have plenty of spare rooms if they're needed." Jondy's pretty face became serious. "I need you to do me a favor." 

Max squeezed her sister's hand. "Of course. Anything." 

"Don't give up on a future with Logan." Jondy held up her hand to stop Max's protest. "Guys like Logan are hard to come by. You know that as well as I do. He knows about your past and he still stuck around. Not once did he try and turn you in or cash in on you. God knows he probably needs the money at the moment. And you know the worst part," she grinned. "He's in love with you as much as you are with him. Do you have any idea what I'd give to have someone feel that way about me?" 

Max nodded. "Yeah, well it's not that great having all these feelings and not being able to do anything about them cause Logan could end up dead." Max knew how hard Jondy and Devon were working on finding a cure. "I'm sure you and Devon will find a cure and Joshua is trying to help me find Father. Logan's looking for leads as well so I guess I've got all my bases covered." She looked over at her sister sadly. "Why doesn't that make me feel better?" 

Jondy put her arm around her sister's shoulders. "Because none of that helps you at this exact moment. Because when we were in heat, it wasn't a case of feeling guilty because you felt like jumping Logan and you didn't have feelings for him. It was a case of you couldn't because you had a lot more to loose than the usual pride and dignity." 

Max laid her head on her sister's shoulder. "When did you get so wise in the ways of the world?" 

Jondy laughed. "I'm just learning as I go. Just like you." They sat like that for a few hours in silence before heading back to the apartment. 

A couple of days later Max sat back on the Space Needle. The thing about visiting with Jondy was that she always left Max with a sense of hope. Max smiled. She had a lot of people looking out for her, how could she possibility lose. 

_The End_


	7. Know Your Enemy's Enemy

**"Know Your Enemy's Enemy"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Devon, Kelly, Professor Andrews and Kera however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

Zane is in town and eager to try and find some answers to the mystery surrounding Max's DNA. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs somewhere in season 2.

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

Joshua sat hidden in the shadows of the night watching the scene before him: soldiers searching the darkness for something or someone, unaware that they were being so closely observed. Joshua could sense someone else watching from the shadows. Turning slightly so as not to alert the soldiers, he searched the alley behind him. A small movement caught his eye causing him to look up. Sitting above him on the fire escape was a man in his early twenties, watching the events unfolding before him. Joshua wondered for a moment if it was his fellow spectator that the soldiers were searching for. 

Out of the darkness near the soldiers leaped a female form. She headed straight for the alley that Joshua was hiding in. Just as she came to the spot where Joshua was crouched, she bounced slightly before leaping up to the man's outstretched arms. Swinging the woman up onto the fire escape, the man unfolded himself back into the position he had been hanging upside down from. 

"Come on." He held his hand out to Joshua. "They'll want to catch you as well." 

Joshua hesitated for a moment before reaching out to grab the man's hand. He was pulled onto the fire escape seconds before the soldiers entered the alley. Quickly and quietly the threesome made their way across the rooftops putting some distance between them and the soldiers before climbing down the side of another building. The man gestured for the other two to follow him. 

There was something about the man that rang familiar to Joshua. He sensed that he could trust him. Down the street they ran up to a van waiting for them. Joshua was a little surprised to find Max inside. 

"Hey, Joshua. Climb in. We'll drop you off on the way." Max beamed at her canine friend. "I see you met my big brother, Zane." 

Zane stuck out his hand to shake Joshua's. "Not officially." He pulled Max into a bear hug. "Next time you can swing from the fire escape." 

Max chuckled as she shut the door, and the van started moving. "I phoned Jondy and let her know she has another family member heading her way." She turned to the frightened woman. "Logan's gonna organize some papers for you. Don't worry. Our sister will look after you." 

"Thank you." The woman smiled nervously. "I don't know how I will be able to repay you or your family." 

Zane smiled kindly at the woman. "Well, our sister, Jondy, recently adopted twelve girls all under the age of fifteen. Most of them don't speak English, although I think they are learning fast. I'm sure she and Devon could use some help. First, though, I think we had better give you a name." 

"Kera." Joshua surprised himself when he blurted the name out and everyone in the van turned to look at him. "Heard it somewhere. Thought it sounded pretty." 

"I like it." Max reached and squeezed Joshua's hand to stop his embarrassment. She pushed a speed dial number on her cell phone. "Hey. It's me. The name on those papers will need to be Kera." She rolled her eyes at the comment made down the other end of the phone. "It's spelt the way it sounds. Joshua picked it." She listened for a moment and then smiled. "Ok, thanks. We'll be there in five. Bye." Max switched the phone off. "We just have to pick up some papers and a sector pass and then Bling will drive you to San Francisco." 

"Jondy will probably be working when you arrive in San Francisco but Devon will be home." Zane chuckled to himself. "He's pretty cool. I helped them move last week. Devon was in full Father mode, organizing the girls into rooms, stopping arguments. The funniest part is what little English the girls can speak is spoken with Jondy's adopted English accent." 

"That's our sister for you." Max giggled as Bling pulled the van into the underground car park of Logan's apartment building. "She has a habit of rubbing off on you." She slapped Bling on the back. "Doesn't she!" 

Bling shot Max a filthy look as he helped Kera out of the van. "Don't start with me, Max. I'm just playing chauffer. I'll be back in a day or two." Bling knew that the drive to San Francisco could be difficult considering that Kera was transgenic. There would be a lot of people looking for her. 

Zane put his arm around his grinning sister's shoulders. "That's right, Max. Bling here is just the delivery boy." He grinned as well. "It's not going to make a difference if Jondy answers the door dressed in a tiny towel." Zane teased. He knew as well as Max did that Bling had it bad for Jondy. 

Kera watched Bling growing more and more uncomfortable with the subject. "If there is some sort of problem with you going to San Francisco with me, I'm sure that I can manage on my own." She preferred to travel with someone who knew Jondy rather than turn up on a perfect stranger's door and ask for a place to stay. 

Bling smiled at Kera. "It's fine. It will be safer if we travel together." He glared at Max and Zane who were still grinning teasingly at him. "Ignore them. They're just teasing. Let's go and see if Logan's got everything ready." 

When they got upstairs to Logan's apartment they found him pacing back and forth. He looked up when he heard them walk in the room. "Everyone alright?" His question was directed to all five people, but his look of concern was only for Max. 

Zane walked up to Logan. "She drew the short straw." He laughed at the confusion on Logan's face. "Max never left the van." He walked towards the kitchen. "Got anything to eat?" 

"Is that your family's motto?" Logan called after him. 'Got anything to eat?' was something Max used to always greet him with. He suddenly noticed Joshua was with them. "Hey." He looked over at Max. "Any problems?" 

Max shook her head. "No. Just picked up an extra passenger that's all. We were going to drop him off on the way here, but decided to get Kera's papers first. I'll drop Joshua off on my way home." She tugged on Bling's arm. "Get Jondy to call me when you get there." She waved goodbye and gently pushed Joshua ahead of her out the door. 

"Careful." Zane's voice jerked Logan's attention back off of the now closed apartment door. "If you keep your feelings this well hidden, we might think you don't care about Max." He grinned at Logan. 

"I'm that obvious?" Logan chuckled nervously when everyone nodded. "Here are the papers you're going to need." He handed Kera a folder. "Best get going before any check points get set up out of town." 

Bling nodded. "Let's go, Kera." He slapped Logan on the back. "See you in a couple of days." He held the door open for Kera and followed her out to the van. 

Zane reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope for Logan. "Jondy asked me to give you this. She said something about it being rent money for the room she's got all of that medical equipment in." 

Logan refused to take it. "She's like a sister. There's no need for her to pay for using that room." 

"Take it." Zane's tone was firm but kind. "You're doing her a favor and this is her way of showing that she appreciates it." 

Logan knew better than to argue with an X5. "Fine. How long are you staying in Seattle? Do you need a place to stay?" 

Zane shrugged his shoulders. "A couple of days. Yeah, I need a place to crash." 

Logan pointed to the spare room. "You can crash in there. I take it you're not like your sisters, so you need sleep." He walked over and sat in front of his computer. 

Zane followed him and sat on the edge of the computer desk. "Max always jokes that she and Jondy must have shark DNA in them and that's why they don't need to sleep." He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think that's it. When we were kids at Manticore, Max and Jondy were too scared to sleep. Ben used to make up stories at night to try and stop the nightmares they kept having. I think after a while staying awake became a habit and then a lifestyle." 

Logan grinned. "Sort of like the way you are so fiercely protective of Jondy and the way Zack was with Max." 

Zane's brown eyes turned serious. "Zack was in love with Max, that wasn't a habit. When we first hooked up in Canada, Zack was convinced that you were holding Max back. He felt she was putting herself in danger for you." Zane rubbed the back of his neck. It had been a long day and the exhaustion was starting to sink in. "When he sent for Krit and Syl to help you guys get Max back, he admitted that he was wrong about you. He knew that you loved Max and would do anything to protect her. Just like he would." Zane gave Logan a tired smile and made his way to the spare room. 

"Hey, Boo." Original Cindy looked up from the book she was reading. "There's some leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry." 

Max shook her head as she sat down beside her friend. "Nah. I'm fine. Zane's in town for a couple of days. He helped Jondy and Devon move into their new place with the girls." 

Cindy put her book down. "How's Jondy coping with being a Mommy to twelve teenage girls?" She had thought Max had been joking when she first told her that Jondy and Devon had adopted twelve girls. 

Max giggled. "It seems that they have all inherited Jondy's accent. Zane seems to think Jondy's a natural at being a mother though." 

"Where's Zane staying?" Original Cindy hadn't seen Zane walk in with Max, but then she knew from experience that the X5s didn't use the normal entrances. 

Max looked guilty when she heard Original Cindy's question. "I was in such a hurry to get Joshua home I forgot to ask." 

Original Cindy rolled her eyes. "You mean you were in such a hurry to get out of Logan's apartment, so you didn't have to notice how damn fine you think he looks that you forgot to ask." 

Max knew her friend was right. "Maybe. I guess I could call Logan and see if Zane's still there." She looked at the clock on the wall. It was getting pretty late. "I don't want to wake him though." 

"Who are you trying to fool, Boo?" Original Cindy couldn't contain the smirk that she was trying to hold back. "You always complain that Logan stays up all night working on his computer. Call the man. I don't think he's going to complain." 

Everything in Max told her to phone Logan if only to hear his voice. "He's probably busy. I don't want to disturb him from saving the world, again." 

Original Cindy snorted at her. "You know for a genetically engineered killing machine, you're a big wimp." She reached for the phone and dialed Logan's now familiar number. "Hey, Logan. Is Zane still there?" She listened for a moment. "No, don't wake him. Max and I were just wondering where he was gonna crash. Thanks. Night." 

Max was a little surprised. "Zane's crashing at Logan's? I guess I assumed he'd stay here." 

"I guess that means you're going to have to go over to Logan's to visit with your brother." Original Cindy grinned. "Damn." 

Zane took another sip of coffee. "So Lydecker's SUV was found upside down in the river outside of Amelin." He shrugged his shoulders. "So where's the body and what's in Amelin?" 

Logan frowned slightly. "No sign of the body. The reports say it looks as though it washed down the river. You think he's still alive?" It seemed highly unlikely. 

Zane poured himself another coffee. "Until I see that bastard's body with my own two eyes, I'll consider him alive and walking around, probably in Amelin." He shrugged his shoulders again. "Call me a skeptic if you want, but Lydecker doesn't strike me as someone who could be easily run off the road." 

Logan had to admit, Zane had a point. "Well, I don't know much about Amelin except there's a prestigious college there. Maybe Lydecker knew someone at the college." 

Zane thought back to when they were children at Manticore, all huddled together planning to escape the same fates that had taken Jack and Eva. "Jondy used to say Lydecker made her blood run cold. Not just because he was a sadistic son of a bitch. It was the way he looked at Max, like he saw someone else standing in her place. Like an old girlfriend or something." He shook his head as if to clear his mind. "Must have freaked him out when Jondy and Max started taking on each others character traits." 

Logan chuckled. "They still manage to maintain their distinct differences though. I sort of got the impression that Max was Lydecker's favorite in his own strange way." He frowned. "I keep remembering something I heard him say once. Know your enemy's enemy. What the hell is that all about?" 

Zane remembered the saying well. "Several things. The enemy of your enemy probably already knows any weakness or advantage points. So it gives you a head start with less work. It means there's someone else to take the fall for you. Unfortunately, it also means there's someone else to protect your back from." 

"That's a loaded saying." Logan raised an eyebrow. "Did Jondy find anything in the file Lydecker gave her on Max?" 

Zane shook his head. "Nothing she didn't already know from the tests she did on the blood sample she took from Max." 

Logan had noticed on his visit to San Francisco previously that Jondy was looking slightly worn out. "Maybe she's trying too hard to find a cure. You know, I don't think Max would hold it against her if Jondy wanted to take a break." 

Zane grinned. "You noticed that Jondy's wearing herself out as well huh?" He had heard from Devon that his sisters had both gone into heat at the same time Max and Logan had both visited San Francisco and that Jondy had kept herself busy working to keep out of trouble. 

Logan nodded. "Don't get me wrong, your sister's still a stunner, but she could be missing something that's right in front of her face because she's exhausted." He leaned forward to pour himself a cup of coffee. "I don't want her making herself sick trying to help us. Max and I will find a way around this." 

Zane heard Max's bike pull up outside the apartment building. "Jondy loves a challenge. That doesn't mean that the rest of us are going to stop looking either. How did you get Jondy to trust you so quickly? She usually keeps at arms length away from new people for months." 

Logan laughed. "I think I had a few things working in my favor that week. Not only had Jondy been shot, she was also in heat. She certainly has a switch in personality when that happens." 

Zane joined in his laughter. "I know." He heard the apartment door open. "Morning, Max." Logan had told him that morning that Original Cindy had phoned last night to find out where he was staying. 

"Morning." Max sat down next to her brother at the table. "Jondy phoned to let us know Bling and Kera arrived safely. It took them a while to get round all of the road blocks though." 

Zane poured his sister a cup of coffee. "Is Jondy alright?" There was something about the expression on Max's face that made him worry. 

Max nodded. "She's busy what with being a mother to twelve girls and looking for a cure. She sounds happy enough." 

Logan felt there was something Max wasn't telling them about Jondy as well. "She sounds happy enough but..." 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe it's just me, but I think she's lonely. I know she has Devon, but he's like another brother. It's not the same. I think she's working too hard." 

Zane hugged his sister. "Let her work through it. Look, Jondy's bound to make Bling stay for a couple of days before sending him back to Seattle, so that it's safe. Maybe she'll figure out what a great guy he is and keep him in San Francisco." 

Max looked doubtful. "You know it's not that simple, right." She chuckled at the grin on her brother's face. "Keep dreaming, Big Brother. You know us X5 women never do anything the easy way." 

Logan watched them joking with each other. He wished it were that simple for he and Max. He decided to switch the topic. "Jondy didn't mention Bling having any trouble with White?" 

"No." Max helped herself to some of the breakfast on Zane's plate. "I noticed a few road blocks on the way here, that weren't there last night." She sipped her coffee. "The man sure has it bad for the transgenics." 

"Why is that?" Logan frowned. "What is it about transgenic people that he has such a problem with?" It was something that continuously bugged him. "Apart from you trying to rob my place once." He looked directly at Max, his eyes sparkling teasingly. "Every transgenic person I've met seemed pretty nice." 

Zane sniggered. "You're only saying that because we may end up being your in-laws." He refused to believe that they wouldn't be able to find a cure for the virus that Max had. 

"Maybe he had a transgenic girlfriend who dumped him cause he such an ass," Max offered. She remembered how well he had fought with her. "Or maybe he is transgenic and wants to be the only special one." 

"Or maybe he just considers the transgenic race another of Renfro's mistakes that he's suppose to fix," Logan pointed out. "Could be he's a perfectionist and feels he has to complete the job." 

"Yeah." All of this may being was giving Max a headache. "I gotta blaze. Normal will throw a fit if I'm late again. Meet us at Crash tonight?" Max tapped her brother on the shoulder. "Logan'll bring you there if you can get him away from his computer." 

"No problem." Zane tossed over his shoulder as Max walked out the door. He grinned at Logan. "I gather you don't go to Crash often considering my little sister didn't give you the opportunity to say no." 

Logan was slightly confused. "Actually, Max usually tries to put as much distance between us as possible. We've got a lot of people working on a cure for us, but it doesn't change the fact that we can't touch." 

Zane's eyes narrowed. "You up for a trip?" He saw Logan's questioning look. "Apart from anyone transgenic, the only enemy of White's that I know of is Lydecker." 

Logan followed Zane's reasoning. "So what had Lydecker found out or who was he going to see? Why would White have him run off the road? I guess we'd better go find out." He grabbed his jacket on his way out the door followed by Zane. "Keep your fingers crossed that we can find out some of the answers." 

Max wondered if she had done the right thing insisting that Logan bring Zane to Crash. She didn't know what she had been thinking. In some ways it was more dangerous than being at his apartment. There were more people, which meant there was a greater danger of accidentally bumping into him. "Stupid." She kicked her locker in frustration. 

"You dent that locker, you're not getting a new one, Missy," Normal bellowed from behind the counter. "I'm not paying you to have a temper tantrum." 

"What's up, Boo?" Original Cindy opened her own locker. "Big Brother not coming out to play tonight?" She looked up to see the look on Max's face. "Logan alright?" 

Max nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah. He's bringing Zane to Crash tonight. That's probably a bad idea, right?" 

"I don't think so." Original Cindy had nothing against Rafer, but she knew her friend was in love with Logan. "We'll just have you sit on opposite sides of the table. You can do that thing where you stare at each other while trying to pretend it doesn't mean anything and you're just friends." Her teasing was rewarded by a smile from Max. "It'll be fine. Come on, we'd better start delivering some packages before Normal fires us again." 

Max felt a little better. "Meet you back here at lunch." She grabbed the parcel Normal was holding out to her and wheeled her bike out the door. 

"You sure this is the right place?" Zane looked around him. There was no evidence to show that there had been a vehicle run off the road. No sign of skid marks or broken glass. 

Logan nodded. "Your eye sight's better than mine though. If you can't see anything we may as well move on to Amelin, see if we can find something out there." Logan didn't know what he had expected to find there, he had just hoped there would be something to give Max some hope. 

Zane walked along the bank of the river. Whoever had cleared up the mess of the car crash had been very thorough. Then he spotted something further down the bank. Quickly he made his way to the peak of white among the brown stones. When he got closer he saw it was something jammed under a rock. Carefully he moved the rock to find a photo hiding beneath it. "Logan! I may have found something." The photo was hard to make out as it had been in the water too long. 

Logan walked up to where Zane was standing. "It's pretty water damaged. We might be able to clear it up on the computer." He squinted at the photo. "Any idea what we're looking at?" 

Zane shook his head. "I'd say we definitely need the computer's help with this." He glanced at his watch. "What time are we supposed to meet up with Max?" 

Logan looked at his own watch. "I guess we'd better get back. I'll drop you off and get straight to work on this photo." 

Zane looked at Logan as though he were insane. "You're standing my sister up for a computer." He gently shoved Logan towards the car. "I don't think so. You're coming out with me and we're going to have some fun. Tomorrow you can work on the photo and I'll drive into Amelin and ask some discreet questions." 

"Your family doesn't know the meaning of discreet," Logan grumbled. "One of your sisters is a redheaded distraction for God's sake." 

Zane snickered at his grumbling. "Yeah, I can see how you'd rather look at a computer screen than one of my gorgeous sisters. The hardship of it all." 

Logan started up the car and tried to ignore Zane's good-natured teasing. The truth was, as much as he wanted to start work on the photo in the hope that it would give them answers, he couldn't wait to see Max. After all, that's all he could do with her at the moment, look. "Fine. I'll go for a couple of hours and stare at your sister," he joked back. "Then you can threaten me later for harassing your sister." 

"Sounds like a plan." Zane couldn't control the smirk erupting over his face. He had pretty much figured out Logan worked too hard and needed to have some fun, from what Jondy had been told by Max. "Who's knows, you may even have fun. Do you remember what that is?" He burst out laughing when Logan turned and glared at him. 

Max was actually surprised when Logan showed up with Zane. She had sort of expected him to drop Zane off and go back to work on his computer. She had to giggle at how uncomfortable he looked among the crowd of people. "Hey." She disappeared into her brother's hug. "What did you do all day?" She tried to keep the conversation casual, but her eyes kept drifting back to Logan. 

Zane didn't miss the spark between Max and Logan and he could tell by Original Cindy's face that she hadn't either. "Went for a drive to get Logan out of the house." He looked over at Original Cindy. "Want another beer?" 

"Sure. I'll help you get it." Original Cindy eased off of her chair and followed Zane to the bar. "That wasn't exactly subtle, Boo," she chuckled as Zane ordered their drinks. 

"Subtle and discreet aren't exactly part of the Manticore work up." He glanced over his shoulder at Max and Logan deep in conversation. "At least they're talking. Max doesn't appear to be getting snappy. Yet." 

Original Cindy frowned. "What do you mean?" 

Zane sat down on a barstool. "When the going gets tough Max builds up a wall around her to keep people from getting close. I've seen Jondy do it as well." He grinned. "Although these days she seems to just dangle irritations naked from the Golden Gate Bridge." 

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "It may be nothing. Zane's going to drive into Amelin tomorrow. Could be someone knows Lydecker or at least why Lydecker was heading there." He smiled to himself. "You have a pretty terrific family." 

Max beamed. "Yeah, I know. Not many families would pull together from all over the country like mine has. I guess I'm really lucky that way." She looked over her shoulder and saw Zane and Original Cindy trying not to look as though they were watching them. "I got lucky in the friends department as well." She turned back to find Logan staring at her. "What? Have I got beer froth on my nose or something?" 

"No." He couldn't help staring at her. Logan tried to regain his composure. "I'll give Sebastian a call in the morning and see if he's come up with anything new." It wasn't the first time, it seemed so unfair to Logan that he couldn't even reach out and hold Max's hand. 

Max eyed him suspiciously. "Just how did Zane get you to come in here tonight. Don't tell me my Big Brother can be very persuasive because that has never been his strong point. It's Jondy's." 

Logan chuckled. "Actually he said that I could stare at his gorgeous sister all night as long as he could threaten me in the morning for harassing you." 

"Ah. So you came to a mutual understanding," Max teased. "That sounds more like Zane." This wasn't as hard as she had thought it would be. "So tell me the truth since you know 'Eyes Only', are we really being invaded by little green men?" 

Logan stared at her with mock seriousness. "Absolutely. Not only green ones, but yellow, pink, blue and purple ones as well. You know it's not even safe to walk the streets at night." 

"Well, maybe I'd better walk you home then," Max joked. "Heaven forbid they jump you while getting a breath of polluted air." 

"Rain check?" Logan laughed. "I actually drove tonight." He hadn't realized until the virus came along, just how often they had casually brushed up against each other just walking past. 

Zane chuckled to himself. When he looked up he saw Original Cindy's puzzled look. "I'm sorry. I'm eavesdropping on those two. Max just offered to walk Logan home." 

"It's unusual, but I don't see what's so funny about it." Original Cindy was still confused about the source of Zane's amusement. "Must be a Manticore thing." 

Zane shook his head and tried to explain. "Logan turned her down cause we drove here." He pulled the car keys and Logan's cell phone out of his pocket. "Looks like he's walking home after all." 

Original Cindy joined in his laughter. "Wait a minute. What about Max? She's still got her cell phone and beeper. Both numbers Rafer knows. I'd hate for him to interrupt their walk home." She shook her head in disbelieve when Zane pulled Max's cell phone and beeper out of another pocket. "In that case, come on I'll make dinner while you catch me up on what Jondy's up to in San Francisco." 

Logan saw Zane and Original Cindy disappear out the door. "What are they up to?" He reached into his pocket for his car keys. "I don't believe this." He realized his cell phone was missing as well. "Looks like I'm walking home after all." 

"What's up?" Max reached for her beeper to switch it off and discovered it was missing. Thinking it might have dropped on the floor she went to grab her cell phone to page it. "Damn it." She looked up to find Logan watching her. "Zane's lifted my beeper and cell phone." 

"And my car keys and cell phone." He bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. "That offer to walk me home still open?" He didn't know whether to throttle Zane or thank him for giving him some time with Max alone. 

"Sure." Max eased off of her seat and made her way to the door knowing Logan would be right behind her. 

They walked comfortably beside each other and talked about everything from Max's family to 'Eyes Only' informants. It was almost like it had been before everything had gotten so complicated. Logan invited Max in for a coffee and so that she could call Zane to bring Logan's car back. 

Instinct told her that her brother was at Original Cindy's having dinner. Sure enough Zane answered the phone. "I suppose you think that's funny, picking your own sister's pocket." She couldn't help but smile when her brother's laughter came bubbling down the phone. "When are you bringing Logan's car and cell phone back?" She watched Logan set a cup of coffee down for her on the coffee table. She rolled her eyes at her brother's answer. "Well, excuse me for interrupting your dinner. I guess I'll see you in an hour or so." Max hung up the phone and went to sit down on the sofa next to Logan, leaving a safe enough distance between them. "Zane said he'd bring your car back after he's finished dinner." 

"That's fine." Logan watched her over the rim of his coffee cup. This was the most relaxed she had been with him in ages and he didn't want to ruin it. The photo Zane had found was lying on the coffee table, something in it caught Logan's eye. As faint as the photo was, due to the damage, he could almost make out a picture. 

Max looked at what Logan was staring at. "Is this the photo Zane found?" She picked it up. "Can you actually make out what this is?" 

Logan carefully took the photo off of her. "Let's have a look." He scanned it into the computer and started tapping at the keyboard to make the photo clearer. Every time he breathed in, he could smell her perfume from where she was standing behind him. He frowned as the photo became clearer. "Looks like photos from a dig. I'm no expert but those look like human bones to me." 

Max nodded in agreement. "Deformed human bones." She noticed how Logan tried to conceal his surprise. "They made us learn all of the bones in the body at Manticore." She remembered the classes bitterly. "Makes us more efficient killers." 

Logan looked up at her. "I guess Jondy found a way to use that knowledge for something more positive." 

Max's face lit up at the mention of her sister. "Yeah. She's good like that. Jondy soaked up everything she was taught and turned it completely around on Manticore. The best thing is she's usually so shy and quiet, that Manticore pretty much ignored her and never figured out what she was up to." She giggled. "Jondy's still pretty embarrassed about groping your leg the other week." 

Logan brushed her comment aside. "Tell her not to worry. I know that wasn't the real Jondy." He looked back at the screen. "What the hell was Lydecker doing on a dig?" 

"I think I've seen this somewhere before." Max racked her brain to figure out where. "In the newspaper. Someone uncovered a Kiloma Indian burial site. They think it dates back to the early 1800's." She grinned triumphantly. "I knew my photographic memory would came in handy." She saw Logan staring at her. "What?" 

Logan's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Nothing. Just admiring your photographic memory." His eyes drifted up and down her body. 

"That's not where her photographic memory is located." Zane was leaning against the doorframe watching them with a grin on his face. "It's a bit higher," he continued teasing. He dropped the car keys and cell phone on the desk and headed for the room he was staying in. 

"Hey!" Max called out to her brother. "What did you do with my phone and beeper?" 

"Gave them to Original Cindy," Zane answered back over his shoulder. He closed the bedroom door behind him so that Max and Logan could have some privacy. 

Logan tore his gaze away from Max and turned back to the screen. "So what has this got to do with you? When I last spoke to Lydecker he was looking into some information Renfro had on you. Where's the connection?" 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe Zane can find out tomorrow when he gets to Amelin. I'll see if we've still got the newspaper that article was in at home. It'll save you searching a load of databanks." She grabbed her jacket and headed for the door. 

"I'll give you a lift home." Logan grabbed his own jacket. "Sort of a pay back for you walking me home," he responded before she could refuse the offer. 

"Thanks," Max replied simply. She walked out the door he held open for her. 

Joshua moved easily through the shadows towards Max's apartment. It was unusual for her not to have stopped by and he was starting to feel concerned. Just as he got to the front of the building a car pulled up and Max climbed out, waved goodbye to the driver and headed inside. 

Reassured that his friend was safe, Joshua turned to head home and came face to face with Max, a questioning look on her face. "Looking for me?" She sounded different tonight, happy. 

"Got worried about you when you didn't visit." Joshua liked it when Max was happy, she seemed to glow. "Logan made you happy?" He sensed that was who had been in the car. 

Max thought about it for a moment. "Yeah. Logan makes me happy." She hugged Joshua. "Thanks for worrying about me. Want to come inside? I'll make you some cocoa." 

Joshua nodded. He became more determined to find Father in that moment so that Max and Logan could be together. So that Max could keep that glow about her. He followed her into the apartment building. 

The drive to Amelin the next day seemed to drag for Logan. He wanted answers and he wanted them yesterday. He glanced over at Zane who was reading through the article Max had found and dropped off that morning. "Have you come up with anything?" 

Zane looked up from the newspaper. "Well, it certainly looks as though Manticore followed the practices of the legend mentioned. The only difference is Manticore had the technology to take a more scientific approach. Lydecker was obviously on the right track otherwise he wouldn't have been run off the road." 

"So where is he?" Logan knew Zane was positive Lydecker was alive. "There's no sign of him and he certainly hasn't tried to make contact. I guess for the moment it's safer to lay low." 

"Do you always debate with yourself?" Zane chuckled at Logan. "That must drive Max nuts." 

Logan laughed. "She thinks it's a guy thing." He pulled the car up in front of Amelin College. "Ok. Let's go and get some answers." He climbed out of the car and headed for the sign that said library, with Zane right beside him. 

The clerk behind the desk at the entrance cast Zane an admiring glance. "Can I help you?" 

Zane decided to work with his advantage. "I hope so." He gave the clerk a friendly smile. "There was an article in the paper a couple of months back. Something about a Kiloma Indian burial site. My friend and I were told that we could get more information on the dig and it's discoveries." 

The clerk leaned forward towards Zane. "You know a lot of people have been asking about that article. Our college history professor would be the best person to ask. Just ask for him at the office, Professor Andrews." She leaned closer. "And my name's Kelly." 

"Thanks, Kelly." Zane was milking his advantage for all he was worth. "I appreciate all of your help. Maybe we could have a coffee before my friend and I have to head back." 

Kelly beamed. "Sure. I'll be here." She waved goodbye as they walked out of the library. 

Logan smirked. "Have you been taking lessons from Jondy?" 

Zane looked back over his shoulder at Kelly. "It worked, didn't it? Bonus is, it's only gonna cost me a cup of coffee. Besides, she's kinda cute." 

After getting directions to Professor Andrews whereabouts, Logan and Zane made their way to the block of classes the history department could be found in. They knocked on the classroom door to announce their presence. 

Professor Andrews was a man in his early forties with sandy brown hair and a tan that obviously was not acquired from sitting in a classroom all day. He glanced over the rim of his glasses at his visitors. "Can I help you, gentlemen?" 

Logan stepped forward into the classroom and made his way towards the professor. "I hope so. We were told that you could give us some information on the Kiloma Indian burial site that was discovered a short time back." 

Zane realized from the expression that crossed the Professors face that he and Logan probably didn't look the type who would normally be interested in Native American history. "We have a friend that thinks she may be distantly related some way to the tribe. We promised her we'd see if we could find out anything." 

"It's always about a woman." The Professor shook his head and gestured to the chairs in the front row of the classroom. "I'll tell you what I told the others. There was a legend, until the burial site was found it was pretty much considered a fairytale." 

Zane glanced at Logan before returning his gaze to the Professor. "My friend and I are always in the mood for a good fairytale." 

The Professor still seemed surprised by their interest. "The story goes that a group of white fur traders took a girl from the tribe to have a child with a boy they had with them. The boy himself was only fourteen but he stood over six feet tall. The first two children didn't meet their expectations. Judging from what I saw of the bones, probably because they were deformed." 

"You've been to the site?" Logan sat up straighter in his chair. 

The Professor shook his head. "I was faxed some photos by a contact that never showed up with the originals." He missed the look that passed between Logan and Zane. "Anyway, it wasn't until the third child was born that they were satisfied. They killed the mother and took the child. As I said, it was always assumed that it was just a story until the site was discovered." 

"So there's no information on what was so special about the child or the father." Logan's mind was running through the information they had just been given. He still couldn't see what the connection was to Max. 

The Professor was impressed. Nobody had ever enquired about the father before. "No, but I'm still looking into it. I have a few contacts that are descendants of the tribe the girl was taken from. So far they haven't come up with anything." 

Zane and Logan stood. "Thanks for your help. You've given us something to tell our friend." Zane reached out and shook the Professor's hand. 

"You said others." Logan spoke up. "Any idea who the others were that you gave this information to?" He already had a sneaking suspicion who it was. 

The Professor thought back to his last visit regarding the site. "A man arrived with a few friends. As I recall he said his name was White, which I found quite amusing considering he was dressed completely in black." He looked up at the two men in front of him. "Do you know him?" 

"We've heard of him." Zane replied. "Watch your back, Professor. He doesn't exactly have a warm and fuzzy reputation." He and Logan turned and walked out of the building. 

Max looked around to check that nobody was watching Lydecker's house before beckoning Joshua to join her as she broke in. Somebody had obviously gotten there before them as the place was a mess. Papers and books were strewn all over the place. "Ok. Let's find what they didn't." Max was not going to give up that easily. 

Joshua sat down on the floor and started going through the books and papers while Max checked the messages on the answering machine. They all seemed to be from Logan, bar one from a Professor Andrews asking why Lydecker had missed their appointment. Joshua looked up at Max. "What's that clicking noise?" 

Max replayed a message to try and hear what Joshua was talking about. Turning up the sound slightly she could hear the clicking noise as well. "Somebody's put a tap on the phone." It seemed so strange Lydecker being the one tracked down like an animal. 

"Somebody else wants to know what Lydecker found out." Joshua offered still flicking through the books. He carefully placed the books back on the shelf as he went through them. 

Max smiled as she watched Joshua. It was quite a scene, the huge man sitting cross-legged on the floor surrounded by books and paper. A thought occurred to her. "You know, I'm thinking Lydecker's probably too smart to leave precious information just lying around his house." 

Joshua cocked his head to one side. "So where did Lydecker leave the information just lying around?" 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Come on. Let's see if Logan and Zane found out anything." She had brought Joshua with her mainly to ease the guilt of Joshua being stuck in Sandman's house all of the time. 

"Sounds like a plan, little fella." Joshua stood and followed her out of the house. He had caught onto some of the phases Max used, even though most of the time he didn't understand what they meant. 

Back at Logan's apartment they all sat eating dinner. "So then we headed back once Zane had finished having coffee with Kelly." Logan smirked. "I'm amazed she didn't invite you out for dinner." 

"She did." Zane struggled not to laugh. "I told her that my life partner had already got something out for dinner." 

Logan pretended to be shocked. "That would explain the weird look she was giving me when I brought the car round." 

"So we still don't know what the connection is between me and an Indian legend." Max wished she had been with them. It sounded as though they had, had fun. "Apart from Lydecker." 

"Lydecker's phone is tapped." Joshua stopped eating long enough to add the occasional comment. "Somebody already searched his house for information." 

Logan and Zane turned to look at Max. "What? You thought that you two were the only one's allowed to have some fun." Max got defensive when the two men looked at her as they were now. "I took Joshua with me as back up. Somebody had trashed the place. There were a few messages on the answering machine. Most of them from you." She looked at Logan. "One from Professor Andrews asking why Lydecker missed their appointment." 

Logan's phone rang as they finished dinner in silence. Logan reached over and answered the phone as Asha walked in. She couldn't contain her surprise at the sight of the foursome eating dinner together. "Hi." She struggled to regain her composure. "I thought Logan might need a break from his computer, but I see you've all got that covered." She flinched at Zane's glare which was aimed in her direction. "So I'm gonna go and leave you to it." She turned and walked out of the apartment as quick as she could. 

"Well, that was short and sweet." Max pretended not to notice her brother's obvious distaste for Asha. 

"Asha scared of Zane," Joshua pointed out. 

"That was Jondy." Logan put the phone down unaware of what had just happened. "She had good news and bad news." 

"Better tell us the bad news first." Zane made the decision for the group. "Then at least we'll have something to soften the blow afterwards." 

Logan took a deep breath. "Jondy found out the whereabouts of the Manticore lab tech that spliced the virus to Max's DNA. He's in the San Francisco city morgue." 

Joshua didn't understand why everyone was so upset. "So Jondy can get the cure off of him." 

Max shook her head. "No, Joshua. I think what Logan means is that he is dead and that's why he's in the morgue." There were times she wished that she could see the world with the child like innocence that Joshua did. "What's the good news?" 

Logan wasn't so sure everyone was going to see it as good news. "She found an antidote to my reaction to your DNA. She's sending it back with Bling. No more trips to the hospital. Devon seems to think that this little discovery might have brought them even closer to a cure. Plus they are also swapping notes with Sebastian." 

"That's great news." Zane noticed that his sister still looked a little downcast. He squeezed his sister's hand. "We're nearly there, Maxie." 

Max grinned at her brother's enthusiasm. "Yeah. Almost there. One step closer, right?" She stood up and tapped Joshua on the shoulder. "Come on, Big Fella. Time I took you home." She waited for Joshua to get out of his chair. "See ya." 

Zane waited for Max and Joshua to leave before he approached the subject of Asha. "Look, man, I'm not trying to tell you who to pick for friends, so just hear me out. Jondy doesn't trust anyone, but I have to agree with her about Asha. Something's not right there." 

Logan listened patiently. "Your concern is duly noted. Let me worry about Asha. Tonight let's just be grateful that we're one step closer to beating the virus." 

Zane smiled at his friend. "Sounds good to me." 

That night on the Space Needle, Max stared down at the city. It was still broken but her little piece of it was one step closer to being fixed. Until then she guessed she would keep helping Logan fix the rest of it. For the second time that week Max found herself thanking her lucky stars for having such a great family and group of friends. Now all they had to do was find Lydecker and just maybe they could find out what White's problem with the transgenic world was. 

_The End_


	8. Gotta Have Faith

**"Gotta Have Faith"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Devon, Kera, the Bouncer and Crime Boss however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.ingement intended. 

**Summary:**

While visiting Max and Logan, Jondy manages to find a cure for the love bug virus. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs somewhere in season 2.

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

It was some unearthly hour of the morning when Logan finally crawled into bed. The exhaustion completely took over and he had fallen asleep before his head hit the pillow. His sleep was not restful, though. His dreams had started to become nightly reigns of terror in the last week or so and he had no idea why. 

Like a horror movie playing over and over again. Max dying in his arms, the sight of her lapsing into a seizure. The worst part seemed to be where she was in a glass cage sobbing her heart out for a reason he could never find out. The glass was unbreakable and he couldn't reach her to hold her and let her know everything would be alright. 

Just as he got to the point where he was practically screaming Max's name even though she couldn't hear him, a calming voice broke through his dream. "She's alright. Max is safe Logan. Don't worry, just sleep." The voice was so familiar. Slowly the nightmares faded and he fell deep into a dreamless sleep. 

When he awoke the next morning, Logan felt more rested than he had in ages. Rolling onto his side he found himself looking at Max. "When did you get here?" The sight of her sitting on the floor against the wall next to his bed was more than he could take at this hour of the morning. 

"About an hour ago." She had a huge smirk on her face. "Jondy called me early this morning and said you were having a nightmare." She had never seen him look this rumpled before. "Bed hair. Not a look I envisioned on you, but I guess it works." She giggled at the exasperated look that crossed his face. 

"What's Jondy doing in Seattle?" He was still half asleep but he instinctively knew that Max would have woken him if Jondy had a cure. "Is everything alright?" 

Max nodded. "Yeah. Devon and Kera took the girls camping and Jondy couldn't work with the house so quiet. Plus her boss at the bar has shut shop for a few days to fumigate." 

Logan propped himself up on one elbow. "So she came to Seattle and broke into my place, then called you to watch me sleep?" 

"Something like that." Jondy walked in with two steaming cups of coffee and a cup of tea for herself. Handing Max and Logan their coffee, she sat down on the floor beside Max. "That must have been one hell of a nightmare you were having. You were practically screaming when I got here." She thought it best to leave out the fact that he was screaming Max's name. 

Logan's eyes narrowed. "It was your voice I heard." He waited for Jondy to nod. "Thanks. That's usually the point where I wake myself up." He suddenly became aware that he had been so exhausted the previous night that he had just stripped off and climbed into bed. "If you two will give me a minute, I'll get up and make you both breakfast." 

"Sounds good to me." Max stood up and reached down to help Jondy up. "I have to make another donation to the blood bank anyway." Jondy had asked her for a blood sample when Max had arrived but they had both gotten side tracked. 

"Who the hell called you at that unearthly hour this morning, Boo," Original Cindy demanded as she and Max put their gear away in their lockers. "It better had been an emergency." 

Max shook her head. "It was Jondy. She arrived in Seattle this morning and decided to work in that lab she has set up at Logan's place. She said he was having some sort of nightmare and was yelling loud enough to wake the dead." 

Original Cindy was confused. "So she what? Thought you could give him something better to dream of?" 

"I don't think so." Max brushed her hair off of her face. "Logan was asleep when I got there. Jondy just said to tell him everything was alright if he started yelling again and not to wake him." 

"Strange." Original Cindy slammed the locker shut. "I guess sister girl knows what she's doing. Why's she in Seattle anyway?" 

"The hotel she and Devon brought is too quiet." Max giggled. "It seems my sister got used to the noise of the girls moving around the place. Devon took everyone camping and now it's too quiet." 

"She needs noise around her to be able to work on a cure?" Original Cindy shook her head. "Whatever works for her." 

Logan had started clearing away the breakfast dishes when he heard Asha entering the apartment calling his name. "In here." He had left Jondy working with Sebastian over his computer, so the apartment appeared almost deserted. "What's up?" He threw over his shoulder as he finished washing the dishes. 

Asha leaned against the bench. "Does something always have to be up for me to visit?" When Logan raised his eyebrow suspiciously, she knew she couldn't fool him. "The S1W have a lead on some Vets being targeted for extortion. I was hoping you could get 'Eyes Only' to do a broadcast. I don't have to remind you that S1W have helped him out on numerous occasions." She knew that she was pushing her luck with that last comment. 

Logan dried his hands on a towel and turned to face Asha, throwing the towel aside. "They haven't helped him often enough for you to keep using that line." 

He saw Jondy leaning against the doorframe behind Asha, just like Max always did. "You know you freak me out when you do that." Jondy just shrugged her shoulder and smiled at him. Asha had turned around to see who he was talking to. "Was Sebastian any help?" She simply nodded. "So I guess you want another cup of tea." He chuckled when she grinned and held her cup out for him. "I'll bring it in to you." He took her cup and watched her walk away. 

"Chatty little thing, isn't she?" Asha had a feeling there was a lot of hidden meaning in that conversation. "So do you think 'Eyes Only' will help or what?" She tried to place where she had seen the redhead before, but was coming up blank. 

Logan boiled the kettle for Jondy's tea. "I'll ask him to look into it, but I'm not promising anything. This is the last favor I'm calling in for you, Asha." 

Asha hugged him. "Thank you." She couldn't help but feel the rippling muscles underneath his shirt. She took a step back and handed him the file she had brought with her. "Here's all the information we have." 

Logan put the file on the counter and finished making Jondy's cup of tea. "I'll call him in a minute. I think Jessica's using the computer and phone at the moment." He was careful to use Jondy's alias. "I'll let you know what I find out later." He walked past Asha to take Jondy her tea. He was eager to see if Jondy and Sebastian had come up with anything. 

Asha watched him leave, consumed with envy. "What's she got that I haven't got? Apart from red hair." She knew Logan still loved Max, but they couldn't even touch, so why shouldn't she get a shot at him. Unfortunately, it looked as though Jessica whoever she was, had beaten Asha to it. "Damn." Asha stamped her foot and headed for the door. "Why does he have to be so damn sexy." 

Jondy smiled to herself as she picked up with her feline hearing, Asha muttering to herself. Taking the cup Logan offered her she punched a couple of keys on the computer to try out the theory she and Sebastian had worked out. "You know Sebastian's sort of cute." She rolled her eyes at the look Logan gave her. "In a strictly platonic way." The patterns on the screen moved and regrouped as they watched. "Good. That looks as though it will work." Jondy sipped her tea. "Sorry. Did you want to use your computer?" She looked up at Logan. 

"No hurry." Logan was actually a bit annoyed that Asha kept trying to use S1W's help as a bargaining chip with 'Eyes Only'. "What you're doing is more important. Care to explain what might work though?" He pulled up a chair and sat beside her watching the screen. 

"I don't want to get your hopes up in case this doesn't work. I'll want to test our theory on the blood samples you and Max have given me first." Jondy saw the hope in Logan's eyes and decided she couldn't dash his hopes. "Oh alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." She tapped another couple of keys and pointed to the screen. "Ok. This is Max's DNA and this is yours. Now so you can get a better idea of what Max's DNA should look like, here is also my DNA and Zane's." 

Logan looked at the four structures. "They all look different although your DNA and Zane's have more likeness." 

Jondy nodded. "Here's the problem with Max's DNA structure. She has no junk DNA and from what I can work out from the file Lydecker gave me, she never has had. Everybody has junk DNA, even X5s. When that lab tech created the virus he had to make sure it matched up in pairs so that it would mould perfectly into Max's DNA. It also made it harder to track down." 

"But you've tracked it down and found a way to separate it." Logan knew Jondy was reluctantly telling him this for fear that it wouldn't work. "But you want to make sure by trying it on the blood samples first." He looked her in the eye. "I'm not giving up hope." 

"Good." Jondy smiled kindly at him. "When we've finished fixing this little problem, perhaps we can find a way of stopping those nightmares about not being able to reach Max." She giggled when she saw Logan wince. Suddenly she turned serious again. "I know Asha's a friend of yours, but be careful. There's something that's not right about her." 

Zane's words rang in Logan's ears. "Jondy doesn't trust anyone, but I have to agree with her about Asha. Something's not right there." 

"I'll be careful." Logan looked at his watch. "You want some lunch?" He hadn't realized how late it had gotten. 

"Hell yes." Jondy uncurled herself from the chair. "I'll go and start the tests on the samples and be right with you." She headed for the make shift lab. 

"Logan! You here?" Max pretty much knew where he'd be. As usual he was working on his computer. "Saving the world again?" 

Logan looked up and smiled. "Just double checking some information I've been given. Do you want to stay for dinner? I was just about to go and disturb Jondy so that she could eat." 

Max nodded. "Sounds good. I was going to try and convince Jondy to take a break and join me and the gang down at Crash later." 

"I can do both." Jondy appeared behind them. "I've gone as far as I can with these tests. It's just a matter of waiting to make sure the results don't have a time limit on them." 

"But you think you've found a cure." Max eyed Jondy cautiously. Her caution slipped away when Jondy nodded. "Really?" She didn't wait for an answer. Instead Max grabbed her sister and hugged her. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me." 

Jondy glanced at Logan over Max's shoulder. "Oh I think I do. Besides I didn't do this by myself. I had a lot of help from Devon and Sebastian. Not to put a dampener on everything, but we still have to wait to make sure the cure holds." 

"Well, we'll just have to celebrate twice." Logan headed into the kitchen to start dinner. He knew his faith in Jondy hadn't been in vain. All thoughts of helping Asha vanished as he prepared to have dinner with his family. He had realized he was closer to the X5s than he was to his blood relatives. 

Later that night Max and Jondy waited for Logan to pulled the car around the front of Crash. Max suddenly burst out giggling. When she saw the puzzled look on her sister's face she struggled to stop laughing so she could explain herself. "I'm sorry, but doesn't this seem like something you'd see on TV." She deepened her voice. "Wait here Honey while I get the car." 

Jondy started giggling as well. "You'd better be careful, Logan may want you in the kitchen wearing an apron next." 

Max's sides were aching from laughing so much. "He knows I can't cook. If he tries that we'll both end up with food poisoning. Maybe you should stay in Seattle, sort of an on site Doctor." 

Jondy shook her head in utter disbelief. "Well, as appealing as that sounds, I think I will decline your offer in favor of my twelve adopted daughters and Devon in San Francisco." 

A scream coming from nearby stopped their giggling abruptly. Stopping for a second to silently confirm their next move, Max and Jondy split up and went in opposite directions. 

Max ran straight into the screamer. She grabbed the woman by the arms and made her stop. "What's wrong?" 

The woman pointed behind her. "There's a monster hiding in the alley." She grabbed Max's arm as she started to walk down the alley. "Are you insane. That thing is huge. It'll eat you alive." When Max pulled her arm free, the woman just shrugged her shoulders and ran in the other direction. 

Jondy looked down into the alley. She could see a huge man with long hair and a shorter man who was hitting him with a plank of wood. She couldn't figure out why the bigger man wasn't trying to defend himself. "This had better not be something kinky." She muttered to herself as she dropped down onto the man armed with the plank of wood, knocking him out cold. 

As she rose to stand up, she came face to face with a face that looked like a dog. The dog man started to growl at Jondy as she pulled herself into a standing position. Jondy hissed back in response. The man stopped growling and looked quite surprised. He took a step forward and cautiously sniffed her. Carefully, he pushed Jondy's long hair aside to look at her neck. "Jondy. Max's sister." He reached out his hand and shook her small elegant hand. 

"You must be Joshua." Jondy took a lucky guess. Just then she heard Max race up behind her. "Looks like you interrupted a hooker and her pimp, Joshua." 

"Man was hitting woman. That's not right." Joshua replied simply. 

Max gave Joshua a hug. "I see you've met my sister, big fella." She grinned at Jondy. "I think I'll go get Logan to bring the car around here." She raced back down the alley. 

"So how are you finding life outside of Manticore?" Jondy looked up at Joshua, who towered above her. 

"Big" Joshua replied. 

Logan had remembered once they had dropped Joshua off and got back to his apartment, that he had promised Asha to look into the file she had given him. From what little work he had done before dinner, all the information looked correct on the surface. Once you dug a little deeper it was quite obviously a setup. 

In the background he could hear Max and Jondy giggling and talking like two little girls. Logan smiled to himself. It was the most wonderful sound in the world to him at that moment. 

Logan woke the next morning slouched over his computer. He winced as he sat up. All of the muscles in his back and shoulders arched from sleeping in an unnatural position. Turning in his chair he found Asha standing behind him a cup of coffee in her hand. "Morning." He stood and made his way to the kitchen. "That information you gave me is all a hoax. Whomever gave it to you is either setting you up or just playing a stupid joke." He poured himself a cup of coffee and switched the jug on for Jondy, whom he guessed was working in the lab again. 

Asha leaned her elbows on the counter. "I thought that might be the case. We've had a few false leads just lately." She looked around her before returning her gaze to Logan. "Your little friend gone out or is she still in bed." Hopefully not yours. The thought had so quickly sprung into her mind. 

"Jessica doesn't usually sleep. She's probably working in the back room." He sat down on a stool and saw Jondy come into view behind Asha. He still marveled at how quickly and quietly Max and Jondy could move. 

"Is she staying for long?" Asha inquired, trying not to be obvious and failing miserably. 

"No, not long." Jondy walked over to where Logan was sitting and put her empty cup down beside him. "Try and sit up straight." She moved behind him and ran her hand up his spine. "You know you're your own worse enemy when you fall asleep like that." She carefully kneaded the muscles in his back and then moved onto his shoulders. 

"Yeah, I know." Logan felt his aches and pains start to fade away. "Hey, you're pretty good at that." He felt her hands leave his shoulders. He turned to find that Jondy had moved over to get herself a cup of tea. "How are those tests going?" 

"Good. I should have a definite answer for you tonight. Can I use your phone? I want to see how Devon and the girls are doing on their camping trip." Jondy could practically see Asha turning green with envy in front of them. 

"Sure. Did he take his cell phone with him?" Logan never thought of Devon as the camping type. "Cause depending on how far out he is, you may not be able to get hold of him." 

Jondy smiled at him. "We've got it covered. The mosquitoes have probably driven them mad by now and he's booked them into some kind of motel." She giggled. "The first time I took him camping, he was convinced that he wouldn't survive one day without hot and cold running water." She was still giggling to herself when she took her tea with her to use the phone. 

It suddenly clicked in Asha's head that Jessica was Max and Zane's sister. "So why is Jessica staying here instead of with Max? Did they have a fight or something?" Asha always found the members of Max's family that she had met a bit strange. She was sure that Jessica wasn't using that name the last time she had seen her. 

Logan finished his coffee and went to get Asha's file. "Everything Jessica needs is here so it made more sense that she stay here." He handed Asha the file. His cell phone rang in the next room. "Did you need anything else, cause I'd better get that." He waited for her to shake her head before going to answer his phone. 

Asha made her way to the door rather disillusioned. It was one thing to try and get Logan's attention off of Max. It was entirely a different thing to try and do it with Max's siblings turning up all of the time. 

Logan finished on his cell phone about the same time Jondy finished speaking to Devon. "How's the camping trip going?" Logan had started to wonder why Jondy hadn't gone with them. He and Max wouldn't have begrudged her taking a break from finding a cure for the virus. 

The look on Jondy's face looked wistful. "They're all enjoying themselves. Devon remembered to take the insect repellant this time, so they are still out in the wilderness in tents at the moment." 

"You wish you were with them." Logan tended to forget sometimes that Jondy's life was just as tough as Max's. Probably because Jondy always appeared so up beat. 

Jondy gazed out of the window at the Seattle rain. "There will be other camping trips. I'm needed here for the moment." 

Logan stood behind her staring out the window as well. "Don't think for a minute that we don't appreciate all you're doing for Max and me. Don't push aside your own life for us Jondy. You have a right to be happy too." 

Jondy smiled up at Logan while chewing her lower lip which made her look even more like a little girl. "When we broke out of Manticore and split up, none of us knew where we were going or what we were going to do. Twelve years later, I'm still trying to work out what I really want out of life. Don't get me wrong, I have a great life." She went back to staring out the window. 

Logan had seen Max do this so many times. State the obvious and then close the subject. "But you don't know if it's the life you want. You always seem to be helping people, Jondy. When is it your turn?" 

Jondy giggled. "Soon." She heard the apartment door open and decided to change the subject. "Who was on your phone?' 

Logan saw Max and Bling walk in out of the corner of his eye. "Matt Sung. He has all the information to arrest a major crime boss, but so far they haven't been able to actually lay their hands on him." 

"What's the problem?" Max propped herself against the desk beside where her sister was sitting on a chair. "Why doesn't he just get a search warrant?" 

"Well, this particular crime boss owns a night club and every time somebody tries to get inside they end up dead. The police don't have the resources to send an entire team in." Logan could hear Matt's request going over and over through his head. He needed a couple of female officers to do the job, but unfortunately the one's he had sent in, had never come back. Logan was not willing to risk Max or Jondy, not even to save the world. 

"I've got time to kill." Max looked down at her sister. "Want to take a break and join me?" 

"Fine with me. Just let me get my purse." Jondy walked into the spare room and came back a few seconds later with a shoulder bag. 

Logan didn't like this idea one bit. "Hold on one minute. This is way too dangerous. Let Matt find someone else." 

Bling had a feeling that it would be a lot less dangerous for the two X5 women to attempt the job, than it was for a mere mortal. "How about I go with them? We can take the van and if there's anything they can't handle, then I'll pull them out." 

Logan still wasn't convinced, but he felt better with Bling watching the two women. "Alright, but be careful." 

White practically growled into his cell phone. This wasn't the answer he wanted to his question. He was passing the time making phone calls until either the entertainment started or his favorite crime boss finished upstairs. "What do you mean X5-210 was caught on camera but you can't tell me what she looks like." 

The voice on the other end of the phone started to shake, obviously realizing White was not impressed by this news. "Well, Sir, it appears she's a bit camera shy. None of the footage actually show her face. Eye witness reports claim she is anywhere from five foot four to five foot eight tall. Some say she has blue eyes, some green. There's no clear description of her. I have found out that her X5 siblings refer to her as Jondy." 

White's reply came out as a snarl. "I don't care if her name is Mae West. I want photo ID's on each of the twelve X5s that escaped in 2009. They're the trouble makers and I want them destroyed." He abruptly switched off his phone unaware that Alec was behind him trying to discreetly stay out of his sight. 

Matt met Bling and the women in the alley beside the club. "I've managed to delay the entertainment a couple of blocks down, but you're probably only looking at about ten minutes." He handed Jondy a dress. "I think this should fit." 

Jondy frowned as she held the dress up by the thin shoulder straps. "What the hell is the entertainment? A stripper?" The deep blue dress had a long flowing silk skirt to it with slits up both sides which finished about mid thigh. The bodice, what there was of it left the back exposed except for the lace up ties that crisscrossed, holding the material together. The sides also had panels that existed only of strips of material criss crossed. Most of the material existed on the front of the bodice which had a sweet heart neckline. 

Matt tried not to laugh at the distressed look on Jondy's face. "No. A singer." 

"You want me to sing?" Jondy looked back down at the dress. "What? I'm not such an innocent girl? There's not going to be any doubt about that if I wear this dress." 

Max had to agree, there certainly was a lot of material missing from the dress. "Look at it this way, if you can't sing, nobody's going to care with you wearing that dress." She gave her sister a gentle shove towards the van. "Come on, I'll help pour you into that thing." She closed the door to the van and grabbed Jondy's bag. "Just out of interest: Can you sing?" 

Jondy looked terrified. "I have no idea. I've never really tried. I guess we're about to find out." She turned around so that Max could lace the back of the dress up. "So what's the plan? I go in the front door and start singing while you climb up the outside of the building and toss this guy out the window?" 

Max nodded as she handed Jondy a pair of black high heels from out of her purse. "Pretty much. Matt gave me a photo of this guy." She showed Jondy who was pinning her long hair up. "Ain't he pretty?" She giggled when Jondy screwed up her nose. "What? You don't find that long jagged scar that runs down his cheek attractive?" 

"Maybe in a few months time, he'll appeal to me." Jondy left enough of her hair down to cover her barcode. "Ok. I'm as ready as I'll ever be, but I would just like to point out, being the distraction bites." 

Max nodded. "Your statement has been duly noted. Let's go." She climbed out of the van with Jondy behind her. Using her feline vision, she managed to get a good look at the crowd inside. "Damn." She spotted White and Alec. "This just got 100% more complicated." It was obvious that Alec was trying to stay out of White's sight. 

Jondy shot Max a puzzled look as Bling slipped his leather jacket over her shoulders. "What's wrong? We only have about five minutes to pull this off." 

Max pointed out White and Alec. She would have to change the plan a bit to get Alec out as well. Unfortunately, Jondy would have to make sure all of White's attention remained on her. 

Bling walked up to the front entrance, clearing people aside so that Jondy could walk through untouched. He looked the bouncer straight in the eye. "The entertainment in here." 

The bouncer looked Jondy up and down. She looked so tiny and fragile with Bling's jacket swamping her. "Gotta search you before you go in." 

Jondy looked highly irritated but gestured for Bling to remove the jacket briefly. "Where would I hide anything in this outfit?" She did a slow twirl which made the skirt to her dress expose quite a bit of her long legs. 

Bling struggled not to laugh as the Bouncer's jaw dropped. Jondy certainly did fill out the dress well. As he was being searched, Bling could see Max climbing up the side of the building. Everything she had needed was in Jondy's purse. 

Finally the Bouncer moved aside and let them pass. Jondy moved towards the stage, still covered with Bling's jacket. Bling stood close enough to the stage to be able to help Jondy if she needed it, but far enough away not to crowd her. 

As the music started up the crowd's focus moved to the tiny red head. Max had managed to position herself on the balcony above where Alec was hiding. Max dropped the end of the rope that she had tied around her waist over the balcony and signaled for Alec to climb up. 

_First impressions can be wrong   
So let me clear what's going on._

At that point Jondy whipped off Bling's coat and tossed it to him leaving a clear view of the sexy dress. She looked back over her shoulder at White. 

_Baby, I'm not who you think I am._

She wiggled her hips. 

"Ok, he's hooked." Max made her way towards a closed door but realized that Alec wasn't with her. Looking over her shoulder she saw that Alec was watching Jondy. Shaking her head she grabbed his shirt collar and dragged him with her. "I swear they forgot to give you a brain at Manticore." She wrapped the rope around her waist, then stopped to listen at the door. 

Jondy had no idea what she was doing. This was definitely a case of winging it. It seemed to be working. All she had to do was try not to fall out of this damn dress she was almost wearing. 

_I'm not made of China   
I'm not made of glass._

She swayed her hips. 

_Would it shatter your illusion,  
If this Angel had a past._

She twirled around to give the audience a full view of her dress. 

_You can touch me I won't break_

Slowly she ran her hands up her sides. White was practically drooling and it was giving Jondy the creeps. 

_Don't think of me that way  
I'm not such an innocent girl_

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Max picking the lock to a door and pushing someone who looked remarkably like Ben inside. 

_Don't wrap me up  
In cotton wool   
Upon a pedestal   
I'm not such an innocent girl._

As uncomfortable as this was making Jondy, Bling was never the less impressed at how well she was covering her unease. He had positioned himself so that he had a clear view of the front door. He would have to get Jondy out of there fast once Max gave him the signal. 

A partially ugly man turned to face Max and Alec when they walked in the room. "Who the hell are you?" They didn't look old enough to be police officers. He reached for his gun. "Never mind, I really don't care." 

Before he could fire the gun, Alec had disarmed him and Max had unwound the rope from her waist and had tied it around the man. "Hope you're not scared of heights." Max quipped before she shoved the man out of the window. "Never mind, I really don't care." 

Alec hung onto the end of the rope with Max. "Why are we doing this when we could be watching the vision in blue downstairs?" 

Max looked out of the window and watched Matt taking the Crime Boss into custody. "First of all that vision in blue downstairs is Jondy. Don't even think about hitting on your sister. Second, I just got your worthless arse past White and third, Jondy and I actually came here to do a friend a favor." She tied the rope to the desk and gestured out the window. "After you." 

Bling saw Max's signal just as the real entertainment turned up at the door. Luckily Jondy had just fininished her song and was trying to get off of the stage without looking as if she was about to break into a run. 

"You have quite a voice." Jondy and Bling froze and turned slowly around. Being this close to White was the last thing Jondy had ever wanted. When White's gaze traveled down her body, Jondy fought hard to resist flinching. 

"Jessica, we're running late." Bling placed his jacket back round Jondy's shoulders. "It's bad enough you wasted your voice at the wrong club." 

White took a step in front of Jondy. "I'll be seeing you again, Jessica." He smiled at her before taking a step to the side and letting them pass. 

Jondy looked White straight in the eye, her own eyes like ice. "God, I hope not." She allowed Bling to lead her out the door. She could feel White watching her as they walked away. 

White chuckled to himself. "That's one Ice Princess I'd like to melt." He heard the ruckus up upstairs. Rolling his eyes, White walked outside. The person he had come to see had already left the building. Instinct told him that. 

Logan was just finishing up with Matt on the phone when the group walked in. "Everyone alright?" His eyes just about fell out of his face when Jondy took off Bling's coat to reveal the dress she hadn't had a chance to change out of. "Is that the dress Matt says you can keep? Where's the rest of the material?" 

Jondy shot Logan a filthy look. "This is the last time I do you a favor." She shuddered. "We ran into White, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and degrease myself." 

Logan watched her stomp towards the bathroom. "I gather he didn't see you or Alec." He turned to face Max. 

"No." Max sat on the arm of the sofa. "He was too busy watching Jondy sing." She giggled at the shocked look on Logan's face. "I guess White has no idea what Jondy looks like cause he tried to pick her up." 

"No wonder she's in a bad mood." He frowned slightly. "Can Jondy actually sing or were you all relying on the amount of skin that dress is exposing to distract everyone's attention?" 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "She's not bad." She glanced over at the bathroom door. "Lucky the crowd didn't pick up on how terrified she was." 

"I was impressed with her singing." Alec sat down beside Max. "At least what I heard of it before you dragged me away." 

Max rolled her eyes. "No way, were you listening to Jondy's singing. More likely you were trying to figure out how to get her out of that poor excuse for a dress." She glared at him. "I should have named you Dick." 

Bling sat down in an armchair. "Gotta wonder what White was doing there. I'm pretty sure he wasn't there for the entertainment." 

"Probably had a meeting with the guy Max threw out the window." Alec offered. "Well as always it's been a slice of life hanging out with you lot, but." He stood and headed for the door. "Gotta blaze. Nice meeting you, Jondy." 

"Bite me." Jondy walked out of the bathroom wearing a bathrobe and into the lab room. 

"Love to." Alec shot back over his shoulder, a cheeky grin on his face. 

Max decided that she had better check on her sister. It was out of character for her sister to be this bad tempered. "I'll be right back." 

Logan shot Bling a puzzled look "What am I missing? Did something else happen tonight?" 

Bling leaned his elbows on his knees. "It was an easy enough job for those two. I think it got slightly more complicated when Max had to get Alec past White and the only way to do that was to make sure White's attention remained on Jondy." 

"That was a little too close for comfort." Logan knew how important it was to keep the X5's out of White's reach. Although he scolded himself for being selfish, his first thought was: Especially Max. 

By the time Max returned to the living room, Bling had left and Logan was working on the computer. "Jondy says it takes twelve hours for the antidote to completely destroy the alien DNA strands that the lab tech spliced to my so called normal DNA." She sat on the edge of Logan's computer desk. 

"But it's not going to reverse its cure as far as Jondy knows." Logan didn't want either of them to get another chance together, just to have it taken away from them again. 

"Jondy's never let us down before," Max pointed out. She had, had the same concerns but then she remembered how Jondy had insisted they wait to make sure the cure wasn't short term. 

"So how does this work? Jondy gives you a shot and then we wait twelve hours to see if we can hold hands?" Logan tried to joke about the whole situation. 

"Pretty much." Jondy appeared behind them dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. "Very few of my little miracles happen in a matter of seconds. Sorry." 

Logan couldn't believe Jondy was apologizing. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You found a cure. So we have to wait a little while. It's worth it." 

Max smiled knowingly at her sister. "We're glad you said that cause Jondy's already given me the shot." Patience wasn't a virtue Max had. "I guess I'll see you guys in the morning." 

Logan had no idea how he was going to manage to wait until morning. He had told Max once that they had all the time in the world. He wasn't about to be proven wrong, but he had to admit, the promise of he and Max finally getting what they wanted scared him. 

Original Cindy hugged Max. "Sister girl sure came through for you, didn't she." She took a step back, she had expected Max to be happier about this news. 'What's wrong Boo? I would have thought you'd be bouncing off the walls now that you have a cure to this bitch." 

Max sat down on the sofa. "I'm happy we have the cure and I don't even mind that we have to wait twelve hours. It's just we've gotten close before and something has always gone wrong." 

Original Cindy could see right through Max. "You're scared, Boo. You're terrified that you are finally going to get everything you ever wanted." Cindy sat down beside her friend and put her arm around Max's shoulders. "You deserve to be happy. In fact, I don't know anyone who deserves this more than you and Logan." 

Max looked doubtful. "Really?" Original Cindy nodded. "Really." She nudged her friend. "Damn, this is going to be a long twelve hours. Lucky you have the day off work tomorrow." 

Max giggled nervously. "I guess that means I can't use the 'I have to go to work' excuse, huh?" 

Logan sat as he had so many times watching the ever-persistent rainfall outside his apartment window. He had tried to sleep, but he just ended up a tangled mess of bed sheets, clothes and limbs. Finally he had given up trying. 

Although he couldn't see or hear Jondy, Logan had come to realize that she had the uncanny ability to know when she was needed and when to stay out of the way and give people their space. 

The barely noticeable sound of bare feet padding across the polished wooden floor was right on cue. Logan glanced over his shoulder at the tiny redhead. "Well, I know I didn't wake you." He had never realized how petite Jondy really was. Normally she had some form of high heels on. 

Jondy pulled a chair over and sat down beside him. "You couldn't sleep. After an hour of tossing and turning in your bed, you decided to get up and come and stare out the window. Here you've been ever since trying to figure out if you're excited about finally being able to kiss the woman you love or if you're scared that what you have in your life that you can't live without, will be taken from you." Her blue eyes twinkled in the darkness. "How far off am I?" 

Logan rolled his eyes. "Right on as usual." He decided it was time to change the subject. "So what is happening with you and Bling? Don't tell me you haven't noticed the man is crazy about you." 

"I've noticed." Jondy's face lost its teasing look and took on a sad one. "I wish I felt the same. I know he's a wonderful person and hell he's great looking." 

"But there's no spark," Logan finished for her. "Bling realized that when he was visiting San Francisco, didn't he?" Logan had noticed that Bling's attitude to Jondy had changed slightly on this visit. He was protective when need be but that was all. 

Jondy nodded. "I think so. I probably need my head read, turning down someone who isn't trying to use me or cash in on me. The thing is, it wouldn't really be fair to him. Bling deserves some one who feels the same about him as he does about her." 

"Fair enough." Bling was too good a friend to push him into a one sided relationship. Logan took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "I suppose I'd better get some sleep." He reached out and hugged Jondy. "Thanks for helping us out." He got up and went to his bedroom. 

Original Cindy cursed as she stubbed her toe on the doorframe. She could hear Max pacing back and forth in the living room. "You know, all this pacing ain't gonna make the time go any faster, Boo." She pretended to be mad. "At least one of us needs to sleep." 

"Sorry." Max was a bundle of nervous energy. "Didn't mean to wake you." She had thought about going for a walk, but then it had started to rain again, so she had decided against it. 

"Why don't you go and let Joshua in on the good news?" Original Cindy stifled a yawn. 

Max stopped pacing. "I guess I could. He's probably awake anyway." She brightened up a bit. "I'll catch you later." She walked out the door, leaving Original Cindy to go back to bed. 

As Max had thought, Joshua was awake. He almost crushed her in a hug when she told him that Jondy had found a cure. "Max and Logan can get busy now. No need to find Father." He seemed happy for Max, but saddened that they wouldn't be looking for Father anymore. 

Max pulled herself out of his hug, so that she could breathe. "We still need to find Father. We don't know why my DNA is different to the other X5's, why it's supposed to be so special." She smiled at her big friend. "So I'm still going to need your help Big Fella." 

Joshua seemed pleased that Max wanted his help. "Ok little fella." He remembered they were looking for someone else as well. "Still have to find Lydecker. Zane said, no body, then still alive." 

Max knew Zane had stopped in to see Joshua before heading back to LA. "He could be right. Maybe once we've found Father and Lydecker, I can take you to visit Zane." 

Joshua's face lit up at the idea. "Sounds like a plan." 

Max giggled. "I think you've been picking up too many family phases." She reached into her inside jacket pocket and pulled out a book. "I thought you might need something new to read." The clerk at the bookstore had said it was a classic. "I hear it's supposed to be good." 

"Great Expectations." Joshua opened the book and started to read. "Looks good. Thank you." 

"Sure thing." Max wished Joshua didn't have to stay cooped up in this house, but it was too dangerous for him to walk around outside. "Gotta blaze. I'll stop by later in the week." 

Joshua nodded as he watched her walk out the door, then he went back to reading his new book. 

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Bling looked at Logan over his cup of coffee. His friend looked exhausted. 

"Sure." Logan continued cooking breakfast so he didn't have to see the look of disbelief on Bling's face. It also meant that he missed Jondy shaking her head and mouthing No. 

Jondy was sitting at the kitchen bench reading a book. She only looked up when she heard someone approaching the door. "Bling, how about you take Original Cindy and I out to breakfast?" 

Bling heard Original Cindy verbally pushing Max into the apartment and took Jondy's hint. "Good idea. You've spent way too much time working in this apartment." 

Logan looked panicked. "Where are you going? No offense, Jondy, but what if this doesn't work?" 

"The antidote for your allergic reaction is in the bathroom cabinet." Jondy slipped into the jacket that Bling was holding up for her. "I have my cell phone with me if you need any help, but I don't think you will." 

Max's jaw dropped when Jondy and Bling walked past, grabbing one of Original Cindy's arms each and walked out the door. "Where are they going?" 

"Out to breakfast." He offered her a nervous smile. "I think Jondy's had enough of my cooking." Logan busied himself putting away the extra plates and cutlery. 

Max watched Logan's attempt at trying to appear to be in deep concentration on his cooking. He might have even succeeded if the scrambled eggs hadn't caught fire. 

Once Logan had put the fire out, he and Max finally managed to make eye contact. With that one look they both burst out laughing. "God, I feel like I'm thirteen years old and trying to pluck up the nerve to ask the prettiest girl in school out." Logan wasn't too sure if Max could relate to that, considering she had practically been brought up in a cage. 

"Gee, I thought my teens were tough," Max teased him. "Do you have anything to eat that you haven't set fire to?" 

"I think so." Logan heard his phone ringing in the distance. "Looks as though we have toast and coffee." He was determined to take the day off saving the world. He poured them both a cup of coffee and put a plate of toast on the bench that Max was sitting at and sat down next to her. 

"You know your phone's ringing right?" Max had rarely seen Logan ignore a ringing phone. 

Logan merely smiled at her. "The world will still be broken in the morning. A very wise and beautiful woman told me that once." Without even thinking he reached out and took Max's hand and kissed it. 

Max waited a moment for the panic to hit her. The fears that she might kill Logan never came. Her sister would never have left them alone if she had any doubts that the cure wouldn't work. "I guess Jondy came through for us again." She beamed at his complement. "You sure you don't want to answer that?" The phone was still ringing. 

Logan nodded. "Positive. Are you on call?" He hoped not. Relief flowed through him when she shook her head. 

"You haven't broken out in welts or collapsed at my feet gasping for breath." Max felt the need to point the obvious out. 

"Thank the family miracle worker." Logan leaned forward slowly not wishing to spook Max. "When she gets back I think I will." 

Max shot him a sexy smile. "When is my darling sister coming back." She stood bringing them closer. 

Logan stood as well. They were only a breath apart. "I got the impression that we're going to have to phone her to let her know it's safe to come home." 

Asha was not going to give up. Logan was not going to ignore her this time. She had found the sexist dress she owned and waltzed into Logan's apartment. She halted to a stop when she came into view of the kitchen. The sight of Logan and Max, so consumed with the passion of their kiss that they hadn't even heard her come in, left her gasping for breath. 

Turning slowly she came face to face with Jondy. The red head raised an eyebrow at Asha's choice of clothing. Her pretty blue eyes turned icy cold as she gestured towards the door. 

"You know I can explain this." Asha finally managed to stammer, when they got to the lift. "It's not what you think, Jessica." 

The lift doors opened to reveal Bling and Original Cindy waiting inside for Jondy. Jondy shoved Asha inside the lift. "So this wasn't a final desperate attempt to get Logan's attention, after your fake Vet extortion case plan failed miserably." Jondy didn't miss much. 

Asha turned bright red. "How did you know the case was fake?" 

Bling glared at Asha. "Jessica's tight with 'Eyes Only'." His look softened when he looked at Jondy. "Did you get it?" 

Jondy pulled Logan's cell phone out of her purse. "I unplugged the phone as well." 

Original Cindy stood glaring at Asha with her hands on her hips. "Looks like we have another person joining us for breakfast. You sure it's safe to have her near Joshua?" 

Jondy nodded and handed Bling, Logan's cell phone. "I'd rather she was with us. Wouldn't want Asha to stumble on Max and Logan using the kitchen bench for anything other than chopping food up on." 

Bling and Original Cindy high-fived each other. Cindy hugged Jondy. "Looks like you're staying with me tonight." 

Asha watched the threesome rejoice in their friends happiness. She felt as though somebody had reached in and ripped out her heart. "When did they find a cure." 

"Yesterday." Bling pointed to Jondy. "Say hello to the X5 family doctor." 

Joshua was like an excited child being joined by four people who had brought breakfast with them. He noticed immediately that Max wasn't with them. "Where's Max? Is little fella Ok?" 

"Sister girl's fine." Original Cindy hastily reassured him. "She's having breakfast with Logan." She could see Asha wince at her comment as she helped Jondy set a blanket out on the floor. 

Bling started to lay the various bags of food out on the blanket. "Looks like just the five of us to enjoy this indoors picnic." 

"Got enough to make that six?" Alec let himself inside. He didn't wait for an answer before he sat himself down in between Jondy and Joshua. 

Jondy rolled her eyes. "Don't bother yourself waiting for an invitation, will you?" Alec grinned at her. "Why didn't Max join in this little family picnic?" 

"Max getting busy with Logan. Little fella's sister found cure." Joshua munched away at his breakfast, totally unaware that his comment was the source of Asha's bright red face. Bling and Original Cindy had almost choked on their breakfast on hearing his happy outburst. 

"Joshua." Jondy was struggling not to laugh, which was becoming increasingly difficult considering Alec had fallen backwards in a fit of laughter. "Where did you hear that phrase?" She sounded every inch a mother. When Joshua pointed to Original Cindy, Jondy nearly burst out laughing herself. "Do you have any idea what it means?" 

Joshua nodded. "Logan and Max busy making breakfast." He looked so pleased with himself for knowing the answer. 

Jondy smiled kindly at the big man. "Well when I last saw them, it didn't look as though very much breakfast was going to get made. I think you and I had better have a little talk after breakfast. I'll see if I can explain some of Original Cindy's more colorful phrases for you." 

Bling chuckled. "You sound like such a mom." 

Logan still couldn't believe this was all real. "I'm gonna wake up in a minute and find out this was all a dream, aren't I?" He brushed Max's hair off of her face as he gazed down at her laying beside him. 

"It wouldn't be the first time we shared a dream." Max had been thinking the same thing. She reached out and pinched his arm. She giggled when he yelped. "Guess it's not a dream." 

"You little…" Logan started to tickle Max, laughing when she started to shriek at his form of torture. The laughter soon stopped when they collided at the lips, and ended up a tangle of limbs. 

Bling laughed as Jondy explained about her little talk with Joshua. "I bet you didn't think that you were going to have to do the sex talk thing this quickly." 

Jondy shook her head. "I sort of figured I could always just get Devon to take that responsibility. I could just picture Joshua sitting at the dinner table with Logan and Max and announcing 'Did you get busy?' without realizing what it meant." 

Original Cindy burst out laughing as the picture formed in her mind. "I can just see Logan's face." 

As the group walked down the street laughing and joking, White watched them from his car. "Follow them," he barked at his driver. The group turned the corner and carried on down the street. As the car turned the corner to follow them, the group had disappeared into thin air. "Damn." White cursed the driver. How the hell had five people disappeared into thin air. 

Max sat beside Jondy up on the space needle. "I guess that means I'll have to be more careful when I go to visit Joshua." 

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "I'm pretty sure White didn't see where we had come from. I think he just stumbled on us." 

Max nodded. "He's probably still trying to figure out how five people could have disappeared on an open street." She reached out and squeezed Jondy's hand. "Be careful heading home, those scars of yours have only just faded." 

"I will." Jondy hated to leave, but she had people waiting for her in San Francisco. Even though neither woman wanted to say it out loud, they both knew it was safer for all of them to be split up across the country. 

"Thanks for everything, Jondy. I don't know how we're ever going to be able to repay you." Max was almost in tears. 

Jondy hugged her sister. "Are you kidding? The stupid grin that you and Logan have had plastered across your faces all day is more than enough payment." 

Their giggles echoed out into the darkness about the damp city. Life was looking good. 

_The End_


	9. The Camping Trip From Hell

**"The Camping Trip From Hell "**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Devon, Dr Hopkins, Kera and Julia Saunders however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

What starts out as a X5 family camping trip, ends up as a run in with White. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs somewhere in season 2.

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

Twelve young faces stared up from the photos lying on White's desk. Each pair of eyes held a defiant look in them. Across two of the photos were stamped the word deceased. Ben and Tinga. Two thorns removed from White's side before they could be a problem. 

One by one White flipped the photos over. Some had photos of the older version of the children underneath them. Some just left the bare desk visible. He would find them all. He was determined to destroy each one of them. Tracking them down was proving to be more difficult than he had thought it would be. A certain redhead kept creeping into his mind making it near impossible to concentrate on the task at hand. 

No sightings of Jessica had been made in weeks. A part of White wondered if she actually existed or if she had just been a wonderful dream. 

He cursed himself for letting his focus get off track and went back to concentrating on the faces. His attention was drawn to the photo of Max. Her words echoed in his head. "You must be the new bad guy in my life. Gee, miss the old bad guys already." This one was sassy. "Where are you hiding?" he muttered absentmindedly to himself. 

Logan rolled over and woke up to find the other side of the bed empty. "Max?" He couldn't hear anyone moving around in the apartment. Pulling a robe on, he climbed out of bed and walked into the kitchen. 

He was on his second cup of coffee before he even noticed the post it note stuck to the fridge. 

_Had to get to work  
Didn't want to wake you   
See you tonight   
Love   
Max_

Chuckling to himself, Logan finished his coffee and had a shower before starting work on the computer. Several phone calls from informants later, he glanced at the clock. He had been working for eight hours straight and had come up with some solid leads. 

Max let herself into Logan's apartment and headed for his computer. She knew he'd be working. She was still trying to work out how she was going to convince him to go away with her and her family for the weekend. It had been Krit's idea and since the other's all had the weekend off of their jobs, it seemed like a plan. 

"Hey." Max giggled when Logan jumped. She figured he'd be so involved with what he was doing that he hadn't heard her come in. "Think you could take the weekend off saving the world for a family camping trip?" 

Logan shot her a puzzled look. "Family camping trip? Who's going?" He wasn't sure if Max meant her friends at Jam Pony or her X5 family. 

Max counted them off on her fingers. "Krit, Syl, Zane, Jace, Jondy, Devon, Alec and Joshua." She grinned when she remembered how Joshua's face had lit up, when she told him they were going camping. "It'll be fun." 

"I don't know, Max. Don't you want to spend some time alone with your family?" Logan instantly felt guilty when he saw the disappointed look on her face. Camping really wasn't his thing, but if it meant that much to her, he supposed he could make an effort. He rolled his eyes. "Do you have a tent?" 

Max's face lit up. "Jondy and Devon are bringing the tents." She threw her arms around Logan's neck. "Thank you." 

Logan shot her a mischievous look. "I'm not sharing a tent with Joshua. I hear he snores." 

Max sat down on his lap. "Jase and Syl are sharing one tent, Zane and Krit in another, Alec and Joshua in a third. Devon doesn't mind sharing with Jondy, seeing as she doesn't sleep. I guess you're just going to have to share with me." 

Logan grinned at her. "I think I can manage with that for a couple of days." He nuzzled his face into her neck. "When do we go?" 

Max would have happily dropped everything and left that minute. "Friday after work. We're all going to meet at the camping site. I thought we could take the van and go get Joshua and then head up to the site." 

"Sounds good." He loved to see her so happy. "Who knows, I might actually get to wake up and find you still there in the morning." 

"Are you kidding? You're sharing the sleeping bag with me as well." Max teased. "Feel like feeding a hungry female." 

"Ah, now I get it." Logan teased back. "You only want me for my cooking skills and my sleeping bag. Here was I, thinking you wanted me for my body." 

Her big brown eyes sparkled at him. "Actually, I want your body in the sleeping bag. Cooking is optional." She burst into giggles as Logan started tickling her. 

Asha walked in the front door, took one look at the couple giggling and laughing turned and walked back out of the apartment. "Life sux," she muttered under her breath. 

The next morning Original Cindy sat on Max's bed watching her pack for her trip. "So how'd you convince Logan to leave his computer and go camping? What did you do? Offer him a close encounter of the transgenic kind?" She wiggled her eyebrows comically. 

Max laughed at her friend. "Something like that. I told him that I'd have to share his sleeping bag." 

Original Cindy bumped fists with Max. "That'll work every time. We'd better blaze though before Normal starts bip, bip, bipping us for being late." 

Max nodded. Nothing not even Normal was going to ruin her mood. Tomorrow night she would be camping with her family. For once they could all be like a normal family. 

The next afternoon they followed a map that Krit had drawn for them. There had been a bit of a hike to the camping site, but Max and Logan didn't mind. It was just nice to be together, even though Joshua was following them. He was like a big kid, asking them every five minutes if they were almost there yet. 

Finally, they got to a clearing where the others had already set up the tents. Max quickly introduced Joshua to the X5's that he didn't know. Joshua quickly spotted Jondy and raced over to hug her. 

Logan chuckled at the sight of the tiny redhead disappearing into Joshua's hug. He reached out and shook Devon's hand. "How's fatherhood going?" 

Devon rolled his eyes. "It has its highs and lows. I think Jondy gets the worst of it though. She's at work when the girls are asleep and I'm at work most of their waking hours." He looked over at Jondy. "She's a natural though." 

As it started to get dark, the tents were hastily put up and a fire was built. They all caught up on each others news. Max settled back in Logan's arms. She felt safer than she ever had in her life. 

Logan was glad he had agreed to this trip. He kissed the top of Max's head. With her nestled in his arms, he felt as though he didn't have a care in the world. 

Jondy and Devon caught Logan's attention. They were such an unusual couple, not in a normal strange way either. They looked perfect together. If Devon hadn't been gay and Jondy a female, they would probably be happily married. When Jondy shivered, Devon put his arm around her, just like a normal couple. 

Logan rested his chin on Max's shoulder. "What's going on with those two?" 

Max glanced over at her sister. "Jondy gets jumpy easily. With Devon she feels safe, probably because she knows that he's not going to do the screw and run thing, just about every other guy she's ever met has done." 

Logan kissed her neck. "Ah, but will they ever find someone that is as right for them as they are for each other. The only thing holding those two back is Devon being gay." 

It was past midnight before they all turned in for the night. Jondy put the fire out and sat in the darkness for a moment. It was so peaceful and quiet here. So why did she have the uneasy feeling that something terrible was about to happen. 

She heard Devon move up behind her. "I know you don't need the sleep, but why don't you try and get some rest." He crouched down beside her. "You've been on the go for twenty four hours straight." 

Jondy took hold of Devon's out stretched hand. "Alright, if it will make you feel better." It felt good to have someone take care of her for a change. 

The next morning Max heard Jondy and Joshua starting breakfast. She moved to climb out of the sleeping bag to go and help them, but Logan's arms tightened around her. "I thought you were still asleep." 

Logan snuggled in closer. "I was. Where were you going?" It was unusual to wake up next to Max. She had usually left for work by the time he woke up. 

Max rolled over so that she was facing him. "I forget." This was a great way to start the morning. She leaned forward closing the small space between them and brushed Logan's lips with hers. "Good morning." 

"Good morning yourself." Logan kissed Max back. They probably would have spent all morning in the sleeping bag if Joshua hadn't poked his head in their tent to tell them breakfast was ready. Logan groaned in frustration. "Next time we're getting one of your siblings to baby sit Joshua." Max burst out laughing at the look on Logan's face as she heard Jondy call Joshua away from the tent. 

Breakfast went smoothly enough and after the mess was cleared away, everyone split up into small teams to going exploring. Jondy took Joshua with her, Devon and Jace so that Max and Logan could spend some time alone. Krit, Syl, Zane and Alec took a third direction. They all planned to meet back at the camping site for lunch. 

With Max's natural ability to survive the wilderness, Logan found it hard at times to keep up. "You know some of us on this trip need to stop every hundred miles or so." Logan teased Max. 

Max had gotten a bit of a lead on Logan. "Sorry. I tend to forget the great 'Eyes Only' is a mere mortal." She ran back to him and grabbed his hand. "Come on. Just a little bit further. I can see a cave." 

Logan couldn't see anything, but he let her lead him up the bank. He wasn't really surprised to find Max had been right about the cave. "Let's just hope nothing's set up shop in there." 

Max peered in the opening. "Not that I can see." She walked into the cave still holding onto Logan's hand. They had brought the basics with them. Water, a torch and enough food for a snack. 

On further investigation they found the cave had smaller caves branching off of it. "Wow. Maybe we should move the campsite in here." Logan turned as he looked around him. 

"It's certainly big enough." Max felt so tiny standing in the middle of the main cave. She glanced at her watch. "Maybe we'd better head back. It's starting to get late." 

"Yeah, I guess so." Logan would have like to have stayed there, just he and Max. He knew her brothers and sisters would probably worry if they were too late. Taking a last look around they walked out hand in hand. 

"Joshua. Come on. It's time to head back for lunch." Jondy held her hand out to the tall man. "You can't stop and sniff every flower." 

Jase giggled at the sight of Joshua running up to take Jondy's hand. "What is wrong with this picture?" 

Devon chuckled as well. "She can't take one weekend off being a mother." He had agreed to the trip in the hopes that Jondy would actually take a break. He was beginning to worry about her. She seemed to be taking too much on. He had thought that she might slow down, once she had found a cure for Max's virus. If anything she had taken more work on. 

Jase watched Devon for a moment. "Are you sure you're gay? Cause you sure seem to pay a lot of attention to Jondy." 

Devon grinned. "Positive. If I ever decide to go straight, your sister would be the first to know." He turned back to watch Jondy and Joshua. His grin faded when he saw the look on Jondy's face. "What's wrong?" 

Jondy was still holding Joshua's hand. "I hear crying, like someone in pain." Joshua was sniffing the air. "What do you smell?" 

"Fear." Joshua looked down at Jondy. "Lots of it." He and Jondy walked over to Devon and Jace. That was when the gunshot rang out. 

Devon reached out and grabbed Jondy's arm as she went to run towards the gunshot. "You came on this trip to be with your family, not chase a gunman." 

"Devon. Someone could be hurt." Jondy tugged her arm free and ran into the woods. 

Devon rolled his eyes. "Jase, can you take Joshua back to the campsite? I'm gonna see if I can catch up with Jondy." 

Jase nodded. "Sure." She held out her hand to Joshua. "Come on, we'd better let the others know what's going on." She looked up at the dogman. "What's wrong?" 

"Manticore." Joshua was looking all around him. "Manticore's everywhere." His eyes widened. "White. He's here. Have to warn the others." He took hold of Jace's hand and headed back towards the camp site. 

Logan and Max heard the gunshot as well. "What the hell's going on?" Logan reached for Max. "Let's get out of here." 

The sound of gunfire was getting closer. Logan saw something move through the trees. It moved too quickly for him to be able to see what it was. "Can you see who that is?" He turned to Max. 

Max scanned the area around them with her feline vision. "X7s. Two of them." When she caught sight of their faces, it sent a chill down her spine. They were the child versions of Zane and Jondy. 

As they got closer Logan saw one of the X7's aim his rifle at Max. "Get down!" He shove Max to the ground as he felt the burning of the bullet go through his arm. He looked down at Max who was lying beneath him. "Are you alright?" 

"Are you insane?" Max couldn't believe Logan had just done that. She was the one who could dodge bullets. "Stay down, I'll be back in a minute." She slid herself out from under Logan and crawled through the long grass on her stomach. Keeping the X7s in sight, she made her way around behind one. 

Grabbing the Zane child from behind, she put a sleeper hold on him. Before Max could let go of the child, the Jondy child spun around and fired at Max. Max moved too quickly and the bullet hit the Zane X7 instead. 

There was no remorse in the Jondy X7's face, she merely took aim at Max again. Max had learnt her lesson the last time she had come up against the X7 version of herself. Quickly grabbing the Zane X7's rifle, Max slammed the end of it into the female X7's face, stunning her. Spinning around she delivered a few well-placed kicks to the X7 and disarmed her. 

Logan's arm was killing him, but not knowing what was happening to Max was worse. He was lying completely still when he heard the sound of footsteps. Looking up he saw Max coming towards him carrying two rifles. "Where are the X7s?" 

"Hanging by their arms from a tree. Had to blindfold them so they couldn't communicate." Max sat down beside Logan in the long grass so that she could take a look at his arm. "Better get you back to that cave we were in. I'll go and get Jondy to take a look at your arm." 

"I can walk, I'll go with you." Logan didn't want to loose sight of Max especially if there were more X7's out there. "Remind me never to let Krit pick our camping site again." 

Max stood up and helped Logan up. "I doubt he knew we'd have a close encounter of the X7 kind. I know you can walk, but you can't dodge an X7 sniper. We're going back to the cave." She tore some material off of her already torn shirt and bandaged Logan's arm as best she could. She had, had to use strips of her shirt to tie and blindfold the X7s. 

After making sure Logan was hidden in the safety of the cave with a rifle, Max headed back towards the campsite. She hadn't got far when Jace and Joshua caught up with her. 

Jase raised an eyebrow at the sight of Max's torn shirt. "What happened to you?" When Joshua had picked up Max's scent, Jace had decided it would be best to warn Max and Logan of the current situation. 

"Ran into a couple of X7s. Logan's been hit." Max noticed Jondy and Devon weren't with them. "What happened to Jondy and Devon?" 

"We heard a gunshot. Jondy went to see if anyone was hurt, Devon went after her." Jace had seen the X's at work when she was at Manticore. This was not good. 

"White's here." Joshua kept sniffing the air. 

Max had to think quickly. "Jase, get back to camp, let the others know what's going on. Logan's in a cave just up the bank there. Joshua and I will go and find Jondy and Devon and meet you back at the cave." 

Jase nodded that she understood. "Not quite the family weekend we were planning on, huh." She headed off towards the campsite. 

Max looked up at Joshua. "Can you find Jondy?" 

Joshua nodded and ran back the way he and Jace had just come. 

Jondy could see a clearing up ahead. A small group of transgenics including a couple of children were surrounded by military looking personnel. As she watched, White came out of a nearby tent. "Oh great, the nightmare continues." 

Devon finally caught up with Jondy. "You know him?" He saw the look on his friend's face and knew the answer. "Worse than Lydecker?" 

"That's White." Jondy nodded in White's direction. "From what I hear and the one encounter I've had with him, He makes Lydecker look like a sweet little kitten." She frowned slightly. "They're in a holding pattern. Why doesn't he just cage them up." 

Devon caught sight of a transgenic child laying dead on the ground. "He's not taking them back. This is a massacre." When he turned back to Jondy, she was gone. "Jondy. Where the hell are you?" He was trying to keep his voice down so that his presence wouldn't be detected. 

Devon looked up into the trees and spotted Jondy perched on an overhanging branch. As White raised his arm holding a handgun, Jondy leapt off of her perch, knocking the gun from his hand. Devon watched in horror as one of the soldiers trained his gun on Jondy. Devon raced towards the solider knocking him to the ground. "Jondy, watch your back." 

White couldn't believe his ears. "You're X5-210? The one they call Jondy?" He felt repulsed that he had actually been attracted to a transgenic freak. "No. This is some sort of sick game somebody's playing." 

Jondy glared at him. "I don't play games." She turned slowly and lifted her flame colored locks to reveal her barcode. She turned back, her blue eyes like ice. "That's my family you're so bent on destroying." Jondy had positioned herself so that Devon was behind her and out of the line of fire. 

White regained his control. "As far as I'm concerned, you're all vermin, pests that need to be exterminated." He raised his gun and fired. 

"No!" Devon shoved Jondy to the ground so that the bullet hit him instead. He fell to the ground beside Jondy. 

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." White went to fire again. 

At that moment Joshua came roaring out of the trees behind White, knocking him to the ground. Seeing Jondy kneeling beside Devon, Joshua swiped his claws across White's face as the man went to stand up. 

"Joshua, I need you over here." Jondy needed help getting Devon and the others out of the line of fire. "Devon's been hit." 

The other transgenics had started to fight their captures when White had started shooting at Jondy. It was nothing short of a miracle that Joshua made it over to her unmarked. 

White looked up to find Joshua picking Devon up and carrying him towards the trees. He scrambled around in the dirt trying to find his gun, but only being able to see out of one eye was making it difficult. As he reached out to grab something for a weapon, a boot slammed down on his hand. Looking up he found himself staring up at Max. 

"Vermin." Max spat out at the fallen man before she delivered a kick to his face, knocking White unconscious. "Let's move out people." Max had passed Joshua carrying Devon as she had run towards the gunfire. They had been separated trying to find Jondy. 

She spotted Jondy near one of the injured transgenics. Max sprinted to the medical tent and grabbed the first aid kit and some extra bandages. "Jondy! We've gotta go. Now!" 

Jondy picked up the transgenic child and followed Max into the woods, stopping briefly to kick White in the guts. 

In the dark caves, Logan braced himself against the wall, the gun in his good hand. The sound of footsteps were getting louder. Just as he raised the gun, Logan saw Joshua come into view carrying Devon. 

"Joshua. What happened?" Panic started to settle in when Logan realized Max wasn't with them. "Where's Max?" 

Joshua gently laid Devon down. "Max with Jondy and others. Not too far behind." 

Logan breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced down at Devon, who was unconscious. "What happened?" he repeated. 

"White shot at Jondy. Devon pushed Jondy down and got shot instead." Joshua knelt down beside Devon. "He's going to be alright, isn't he?" 

"He will if I have anything to say about it." Jondy appeared with a child in her arms and Max right behind her. "When will you mere mortals learn that we X5 women are the one's who can dodge bullets." She laid the child down and removed her jacket to cover her. 

Max ushered the other transgenics into the cave and posted two that weren't injured on guard duty. "You know they're not happy unless they're playing hero." She could see the concern on Jondy's face as she examined Devon. "How bad is it?" 

"Joshua. I need your coat." Jondy waited for the big man to take his coat off and then covered Devon with it. She stood and walked over to Max. "It's pretty bad. He's going into shock and we only have the basics in the first aid kit." 

Max looked around the cave. There were a few injured transgenics but nothing she couldn't handle. Logan's arm needed looking at, but Devon was in the worst condition. She turned back to her sister. "Is there anyway you can treat the shock? This cave actually has a few little caves off of it. I could put the injured people into a few of those while you look after Devon." 

Jondy nodded. "I'll get Joshua to help me move Devon and then see how bad Logan's arm is." 

"I'm fine." Logan joined them. "I can wait, Devon can't." His arm stung like hell, but Devon was unconscious. 

Jondy nodded. "Joshua. I'm going to need your help again." She left Max and Logan and explained to Joshua what she needed him to do. 

Joshua picked Devon up and carried him into a smaller cave. A moment later he walked out of the cave and stood guard for Jondy. 

Max started issuing orders so that everyone was kept busy. Once everybody had a job, Max sat down beside Logan and took a look at his arm. "Wow, the bullet went right through your arm." She looked Logan straight in the eye. "What were you thinking?" She gently stroked his face which had grown quite pale. 

"I couldn't loose you again." He caught hold of her hand. "I can't watch you die again." Logan looked towards the cave that Jondy and Devon were in. "I wouldn't want anyone to go through that experience." 

"I'm not going anywhere." Max kissed Logan's forehead. "It took me too long to get back to you the last time." She kissed his lips. "I'm not going anywhere," she repeated. 

Jondy sat down beside the couple. "I hate to break this up but how about I take a look at Logan's arm." She cleaned the wound so that she could get a better idea of the damage. 

Logan winced slightly. "How's Devon doing?" He had noticed that Jondy wouldn't make eye contact with either of them. Upon looking over at Max, he could see that she had realized the same thing. 

"Jondy. Devon's gonna be alright, isn't he?" For a moment Max was worried that Devon might have died. 

Jondy bandaged Logan's arm and made a makeshift sling. "He's alive and awake and keeps calling me Freddie. I'm guessing that last part is because he's delirious." 

"But he's out of danger?" Logan smiled gratefully as Jondy finished tying his sling. "Jondy, what is it?" Her hands were shaking. 

"We don't have the medical equipment I need." Jondy brushed her hair off of her face with the back of her hand. "We've got to get him to a hospital." 

Zane and Alec walked into the cave. Zane took one look at Jondy and scooped her into his arms. He realized Devon must have been hurt when he couldn't see him and saw the state Jondy was in. "How's Devon doing?" 

"Is it safe enough for us to get Devon to a hospital?" Jondy mumbled into his shoulder. 

Alec rolled out a sleeping bag. "Ready when you are." He shoved a couple of thick branches into the sleeping bag. "Your stretcher awaits." He made a grand sweeping gesture with his hand. 

"Joshua." Jondy untangled herself from her brother's arms. "We're moving out." She gestured for Zane to follow her with the stretcher. "Thank you." She verbally threw the thank you at Alec as she walked past. 

Alec gave Max a puzzled look. "Is she alright?" He wasn't used to Jondy being so nervous. "Devon's pretty bad, isn't he?" 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "He went into shock but I think Jondy stopped that as best she could. He was delirious." She looked up at Logan. "I think the bullet was pretty close to his lung." 

Logan nodded. "I'm no doctor, but it looked pretty bad." He saw Joshua and Zane carry Devon out on the stretcher. 

Krit walked in the entrance of the cave. "Sorry we took so long to get to you. It's all clear to move now. Jace and Syl are packing up camp." He looked slightly guilty. "Sorry about this guys. Nobody was here last week when I scouted the area." 

Max squeezed her brother's hand. "We know. I got the impression they set up camp the same time we did." 

"We're just leaving before they do." Logan waved the transgenics to the entrance. "I'll see what I can do about papers for the newest additions once we get Devon to the hospital." 

They all headed out of the cave, Max took the lead while Krit brought up the rear. It was the tensest hike any of them had ever experienced. They only stopped long enough to pick up the tents and their gear. 

Max and Logan took Devon's car so that Jondy could drive the van with Joshua looking after Devon in the back. The newest transgenics were split amongst the rest of the vehicles. 

In the waiting room of the hospital, Jondy was pacing back and forth in front of Max and Logan. "What the hell is taking so long?" 

Max spotted Devon's doctor and reached out to stop her. "Jondy, here comes the doctor." 

A young man in green scrubs walked up to them. "Are you Mr Saunders family?" He looked the threesome up and down. "I'm Doctor Hopkins." 

Logan could see the Doctor was unconvinced any of them were related to Devon. "Jessica is Devon's wife." He gently pushed Jondy forward. 

Doctor Hopkins couldn't help thinking what a lucky man Devon Saunders was. His wife was stunning to say the least. He reached out to shake her hand. "Mrs. Saunders, your husband's condition is stable. You may go in and see him. It's a miracle he didn't go into shock." 

"Where is he?" Jondy flinched at his last comment. "Is he conscious?" 

"Yes." The doctor gestured down the corridor. "He's down this way. Follow me." He walked down the corridor and into a room. "Mr. Saunders, your wife has been waiting to see you." 

Devon was slightly confused until Jondy walked in. "Hey. I was wondering where you were. Are you ok?" He held his hand out to her. 

Jondy squeezed his hand and smiled down at him. "Well, I must say I was sort of offended when you referred to me as Freddie Prinze Jr." She sat down in a chair beside his bed. "I'll get over it. How are you feeling?" 

"Tired. Like something big ran over me." He could see Max and Logan in the doorway. "Are the others alright?" He couldn't really remember what had happened, it was all coming back in flashes. 

"Logan took a bullet in the arm and there were a few minor injuries. Apart from that we're all fine." Jondy leaned forward slightly. "You know if you keep taking bullets for me, I might get the impression you care about me." 

It all came flooding back to Devon. He looked up into Jondy's frightened blue eyes. "I went into shock, didn't I? You saved my life." He felt her pull her hand away from him, so he tightened his grip. "Don't run from me, Jondy." 

Jondy was starting to shake. "If I hadn't kept you warm, you would have died. I didn't have a choice, I couldn't loose you. I don't know how to do this by myself. You were delirious and everything just got out of control." The words just came tumbling out and weren't really making any sense to anyone but Devon. 

He tried to calm her down, seeing the puzzled looks on Max and Logan's faces. "Listen to me. We will work through this, I promise you. Just don't run from me." His green eyes pleaded with her. 

Logan knew how Devon felt. So many times Max had run from him when they had started to get close. The moment they both got over their fears, they had ended up trying to save Tinga, Max had died. But she had come back to him only for him to be unable to touch her. If it hadn't been for Jondy, they would still been dancing around each other. 

"Let's give them a little time alone." Logan took hold of Max's hand. "They have issues to sort out." 

It all clicked with Max. "Oh wow. That's what she meant about Devon calling her Freddie." She tugged slightly on Logan's hand. "Can you get a start on those papers for the others?" 

Logan nodded. "Have you got Jondy's cell phone? A certain dark haired angel made me leave mine at home, so that I couldn't work this weekend." 

Max reached into her jacket pocket and handed him the cell phone. "Hey, we were having a great time before Manticore gate crashed and started shooting our mortal men." The whole incident had shaken her up. 

Back in the hospital room Jondy was trying to joke away the whole day. "You know for a gay guy, you did an impressive impression of a straight guy." 

Devon chuckled slightly. "Well, the girls were wondering why Mommy and Daddy have separate beds. I guess we can't tell them Daddy has to go into shock and be delirious to sleep with Mommy." 

"I don't think so." Jondy smiled for the first time that day. She felt Devon's grip on her hand tighten. "What's wrong?" She reached for the buzzer beside his bed, as she watched his face contort in pain. "Hang on Devon. Don't you leave me." 

Max spotted the doctor running towards Devon's room. She touched Logan's arm to get his attention as he was talking on the cell phone. "Something's wrong with Devon." 

Logan quickly finished the phone call and grabbed Max's hand. "Let's see what's going on. Your sister may need you." 

When they got to the room they found a stunned Jondy backed up against the wall. She held out her hand stopping the doctor from getting any closer. 

Max walked past all of the nurses, leaving Logan standing in the doorway. "What happened?" She moved slowly towards Jondy. "Hey, what's going on?" She pulled her shell-shocked sister into arms. 

Logan looked over at the bed and saw Devon's blue tinged face. "Doctor Hopkins. I thought Devon was out of danger." 

Doctor Hopkins went to touch Jondy's shoulder, but she shrank away from him. He turned to face Logan. "Mr. Saunders suffered an aneurysm. It couldn't have been foreseen. I'm sorry, we couldn't save him." He took one more look at Jondy. "I'll give the three of you some time alone." He ushered the nurses out. 

Logan grabbed the chair and brought it over to Jondy, she looked as though she was about to topple over. He helped lower Jondy onto the chair with his good arm. Logan couldn't think of anything to say to her. Nothing could make this right. 

Alec raced into the room. "Sorry to break up whatever's going on in here, but White's just been brought into emergency. He's claiming he was attacked by a wild animal and somebody stole his first aid kit." He glanced at the bed and saw Devon's lifeless body. "When?" He looked over at Logan. 

"A few minutes ago." Logan planned quickly. He had to get Max and Jondy out of there. "Go and get Zane. We're gonna get Devon home." He knew Jondy wouldn't leave without Devon. Besides White was sick enough to use the dead man to get to Jondy. 

Alec raced out of the room. Logan stood guard at the door so that no nurses would stumble in on them. Moments later, Zane returned with Alec. "Get him out via the morgue. We'll figure out how to get the body back to San Francisco for burial once we're clear of the hospital and White." Logan started issusing orders. 

Max stood her sister up. "Are you going to be alright to drive?" Logan couldn't drive with his injured arm. She was worried that her sister was too deep in shock to be able to drive. 

Jondy regained her composure and nodded. "Let's get the hell out of here." She walked out with Max and Logan either side of her, straight out the front door. 

Zane and Alec appeared moments later with Devon's body in a body bag and loaded it into the van, before climbing into their respective vehicles. 

When they were a safe distance away, Logan clued them all in on his plan. "Zane, can you and Krit get Devon back to San Francisco? We'll call Devon's mother when we get back to my apartment and let her know what happened. Julia will probably want to meet up with you in San Francisco." 

Zane agreed. "Julia's met me before so at least she'll trust me when we arrive." It wasn't the best circumstances to meet up with Devon's mother again. 

"I should go with them." Jondy didn't want Devon's mother burdened with the death of her son alone. 

Max shook her head. "White's going to have people looking out for you, me and Joshua. We'll get you back in a couple of days." 

"White doesn't know this was a family camping trip, so he won't be looking for the rest of us." Syl guessed what Logan had planned. "As soon as we get the papers, I can take some of the newbies with me." 

"I can take a few with me as well." Jace sort of felt she owed Max and Logan for getting her and her unborn baby which had turned out to be a girl, away from Manticore. 

"Some can stay with me until it's time to go." Joshua offered. Devon's death wasn't as hard for him as Isaac's had been, but he could see the pain Jondy was in. 

"Great." Logan managed a brief smile. "The rest can stay in my living room. We'll get them out a few at a time. It'll be safer that way." 

They all got back into their vehicles and started work on Logan's plan. Jace and Syl headed back to their homes immediately with a few transgenics each. Zane and Krit headed straight for San Francisco. 

Back in Logan's apartment Alec watched Jondy while Max and Logan talked in the kitchen. They had dropped Joshua and half of the leftover transgenics off on their way home. Alec didn't know Jondy very well, but he had never seen her look so alone before. "Can I get you anything?" It was all he could think of to say. 

Jondy shook her head. "No, thank you." Her phone conversation with Devon's mother kept playing over and over in her mind like a stuck record as she sat curled up on the sofa. 

In the kitchen Max watched Alec's attempts to help Jondy, while the transgenics sat around on the floor. "I don't know how to get her through this." Max looked over her shoulder at Logan. 

Logan looked over at Jondy. "She needs time, Max. She lost a friend as well as a partner today. I can't help thinking that a part of her was in love with Devon, even though I'm sure she'll never admit it." 

Max felt her sister's pain. "I know. I just feel so helpless. I need to do something for her." 

Logan understood. He felt helpless as well. "I guess it was lucky Kera was looking after the girls. At least Jondy will have someone to help her when she gets home." 

"Furneral arrangements." Jondy's voice broke the stony silence in the living room. "I have to organize the furneral." She needed something to keep her busy before she fell apart. 

Alec fetched her a pen and a pad of paper. "Write down what you need and I'll help you." It would give him something to do as well. 

Max brought in a tray of sandwiches and drinks and let the transgenics help themselves. "What are we doing?" 

"Making furneral arrangements." Jondy started making a list of what she needed, but her hands were shaking too bad for her to write. She handed Max the pen and pad. "Flowers, headstone, priest, coffin. What else?" She looked over at Logan. "I don't suppose you have a San Francisco phone book, do you?" 

Logan pulled a book off of his shelf and handed it to Alec. "Start looking for florists." He sat across from Jondy. "What were Devon's favorite flowers." He had realized that he was probably the only one who had ever been to a real furneral. 

Jondy ran her hands through her hair. "Um, Gardenias. I think." She turned to Alec who had found a listing of florists that were in the general area he had heard Jondy lived in. "White Gardenias." 

Alec nodded and started calling florists on his cell phone. He had become an expert at haggling, so he got the flowers at an incredibly low price. 

Logan called priests, while Max looked after the coffin. Jondy dealt with the headstone herself. It was midnight before they all turned in. At least the burden of organizing Devon's furneral had been lifted from Devon's mother's shoulders. 

Max felt someone gently shaking her. She slowly opened her eyes. She knew it hadn't been Logan because she could feel his good arm around her. She found herself looking at Alec. "What's wrong?" 

Alec had decided to stay the night at Logan's in case Jondy needed help. He shocked himself by how protective he felt towards her. "Jondy's gone. I woke up and decided to check on her, but her bed's empty." 

"Go and wait for me outside. I'll get dressed and we'll go look for her." Max glanced at the clock. It was four o'clock in the morning. She had a feeling, she knew where Jondy had gone. Careful not to disturb Logan, she slipped out of bed and threw some clothes on. 

It was pouring with rain outside. "I guess we can't get Joshua to track her in this." Alec pushed the wet hair off of his face. 

"We won't need Joshua." Max climbed on her motorcycle and signaled for Alec to climb on. "She's gone after White." She started up the motorcycle and headed for the campsite. 

White sat staring at Jondy's file. How could he have been so stupid? She was created to be a distraction. He should have realized immediately who she was when the Crime boss had mysteriously ended up in the hands of the police. 

He looked up when he heard what he thought was sloshing water. There was no river or stream nearby so he went to investigate. There was no sign of anyone, but it was hard to see with half of his face bandaged up. 

He could feel an intense heat behind him. Turning he found his tent on fire. Spinning back around he saw Jondy a short distance in front of him, her face completely void of emotion. She was completely soaked to the skin from the rain. Amazing enough, she still looked gorgeous. 

Without even blinking, Jondy flicked alight the lighter she had in the palm of her hand and dropped it on the ground. White's tent was instantly surrounded in flames. It was then he smelt the gasoline. 

He watched her walk away without giving him a second glance. He pulled his now wet jacket over his head and raced through the flames. When he got to the other side of the flames she had disappeared. He never saw the three X5's walking away through the woods. 

Logan woke to find the other side of the bed empty again. This time however there was a note on the other side of the bed. 

_Jondy's gone.   
Alec and I have gone to find her.   
Don't worry   
Love   
Max_

Logan had never gotten out of bed and dressed so fast in his life. By the time he walked around all of the sleeping people on his living room floor, Max, Jondy and Alec were walking in the apartment, soaked to the skin. Jondy looked as though she was in a trance. 

"I'll go and run a bath for Jondy." Logan had no idea where they had been, but Jondy was in no condition to stay in wet clothes. "Alec you can borrow some clothes for the moment." He gestured for Max to follow him. 

Max left Jondy with Alec and followed Logan into the bathroom. She waited for Logan to start running the bath before she spoke. "Jondy went after White this morning. She set his tent alight." 

Logan was astounded. "With him in it?" 

"No. I think the ring of fire around the outside was supposed to finish him off, but I think he got through it." Max leaned against the bathroom sink. "We didn't stick around long enough to check." 

They got Jondy settled in the bath while Alec was changing into some clothes he borrowed from Logan. When he came out of the bedroom, Alec found Logan sitting on the sofa with Max, wrapped up in a bathrobe. Not wishing to disturb them, he quietly knocked on the bathroom door that had been left slightly open in case Jondy needed some help. 

She looked so frail sitting amongst the bubbled foam, her red hair straight from being wet. Alec sat beside the bathtub. "What was he like?" He saw her eyes flicker ever so slightly. "Devon, I mean." This time she actually looked at him. "I only met him this one time, but he seemed alright. I heard he's gay but apart from that I didn't really get a chance to know him." 

"He cared about people." Jondy looked puzzled by Alec's question. "He always put others first. He's a great father, the girls adore him. He looked after me when I first got out of Manticore, kept me safe." She lifted her hand out of the bath as if it were a foreign object. "The water's gone cold." She was still in shock. 

Alec stood and went to get Max. The rescued transgenics were still asleep on the floor so he didn't want to wake them by yelling across the room. "Hey." He touched Max's shoulder. "I think Jondy's ready to get out of the bath." 

"Thanks." Max was confused by Alec's concern for Jondy. Usually he was incredibly self-centered. "I'll go and help her." 

Logan watched Max creep into the bathroom before talking to Alec. "You actually got Jondy to talk?" 

Alec shrugged his shoulders. "A little. She's pretty out of it. Is she going to be alright?" X5s weren't trained to care or, hell, even have emotions. 

Logan heard his houseguests stirring. "Not if she keeps everything bottled up inside. You guys may have been trained to believe emotions make you weak, but trying to keep them locked inside eats away at you. That's what makes you weak." 

It was a long day. Alec had taken the transgenics that were staying with Joshua over the boarder. Zane and Krit phoned to let Jondy know they had got Devon home. Krit was going to stay in San Francisco for the funeral and Zane was heading back to Seattle to get Jondy. 

Max and Logan took turns watching Jondy. Neither of them was sure what she would do next. "Where's my jacket?" Jondy walked around the apartment searching under all of the cushions. 

"Where are you going?" Max really didn't think her sister was in any condition to go anywhere at the moment. She still seemed to be walking around in a daze. 

"Nowhere." Jondy found her jacket hanging on the back of one of the dinning room chairs. Unzipping an inside panel in the jacket she pulled out the files that White had on his desk. "These might be of interest." She handed them to Logan before going to check on an injured transgenic. 

Max shot Logan a puzzled look. "What are they?" She got worried when she saw the shocked look on his face. "Logan?" 

Logan handed Max a file. "White's files on the X5s that escaped with you. Jondy must have stolen them before she set fire to his tent." He gazed at Max in amazement. "He probably thinks they went up in flames with his tent." 

Max smile to herself. "Payback's a bitch. Considering what White's done, I think he got off lightly." 

That night Logan walked quietly around the sleeping people on his living room floor. He had gotten a small taste that weekend of what it was like to be them and for the life of him, he couldn't even begin to imagine how Max had made it this far. 

The sound of somebody quietly sobbing caught his attention. Moving towards the sound, he made his way to the lab. It took him a while to find her in the dark, but in the corner of the room sitting on the floor, hugging her knees and crying her heart out was Jondy. 

Carefully sitting down beside her on the floor, Logan put his good arm around the young woman's shoulders. They sat like that for about twenty minutes before the tears finally stopped. 

Zane walked in moments later and found them. He quietly walked up to them and crouched down in front of them. Gently pushing the hair out of his sister's tear stained face, he watched her for a moment. She seemed so numb. She didn't even look up at him. Carefully he lifted her into his arms and walked out the room. 

Logan followed them into the spare bedroom and watched Zane put Jondy to bed as though she were a fragile child. If it weren't so tragic, it would have looked amusing. Such a fierce looking man, tucking the tiny redhead into bed and kissing her on the forehead. 

When Max came back from filling Original Cindy in, she found the two men sitting on the floor beside Jondy's bed watching her sleep. "How's she doing?" Max whispered as she squeezed in between Logan and Zane. 

"I think she'll be better once she's got a good night's sleep. She's not going to get over this in one or two nights." Logan kissed Max's head. "She's made of strong stuff though, just look at her siblings." 

Zane had been filled in on the funeral plans by Logan, once Jondy had fallen asleep. "I'll take her home tomorrow and stay with her until after the funeral in the weekend. I'm sure my boss won't mind. Krit's already cleared with his." 

"We'll bring Joshua up with us." Max was relieved Jondy would have someone with her. "He wants to be there for Jondy." 

Logan knew how Jondy felt. He had pretty much gone insane when Manticore had taken Max from him. "I guess the girls will keep her busy. Too much time on your hands can be deadly at a time like this." 

That weekend they all gathered in San Francisco. After the funeral they stayed at the hotel Jondy and Devon had brought to live in. 

Max watched Jondy tuck the girls in. Devon had been right, Jondy was a natural mother. They sat on the stairs together after everyone had settled in for the night. 

"So how are you doing?" Max couldn't even begin to imagine how Jondy was coping. She didn't know what she would do if she lost Logan. 

"Better." Jondy had never felt so exhausted before. "Julia has decided to move in to help with the girls. I think it makes her feel closer to Devon. Kera got a job as a teacher's aid. She wants to pay board to help out. Together we'll manage." 

"It doesn't fill the gap though, does it." Max read between the lines. 

Jondy managed a weak smile. "No. I don't think anything ever will." She glanced up the stairs towards the room she had put Max and Logan in. "Don't let that one go, Maxie. He's a keeper." She squeezed Max's hand when she blushed. "I'm gonna check on Joshua and then turn in." 

"Goodnight." Max wondered into her room and watched Logan sleep. There were times especially in the last week when she wondered if she had been selfish caring for Logan. She couldn't bare for anything to happen to him. 

Logan opened his eyes to find Max watching him. "Hey. Everything alright?" He reached out and pulled her into his arms. 

Max snuggled closer. "It will be." This was where she felt safe. Tilting her head she leaned forward and kissed Logan gently. "My sister reckons you're a keeper." She teased him as she kissed his neck. 

Logan chuckled. "It's good to know I have your sister's approval." He rolled Max onto her back so that he was looking down on her. "Jondy's gonna be alright you know. You X5 women are pretty tough." He had seen the strength in Jondy today when she was looking after Devon's mother and her adopted daughters. 

"I know." Max knew he was right. "How about we stop talking about my sister and make the most of a weekend away from Seattle." 

White slowly removed the bandages from his face. His wounds had begun healing quickly. He looked into the night sky for the first time in a week with both eyes. The cold empty look on Jondy's face was burnt into his memory. He had made a dangerous enemy in that one. 

He had, had his people search for her but they had come up empty handed. White grinned to himself. "I always did love a challenge." One way or another he was going to find them all. 

_The End_


	10. Surprise

**"Surprise"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Julia Saunders, Kera, Nigel and Devon however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

When both Logan and Alec feel that something isn't quite right with Jondy, Max and Logan go to visit her sister in San Francisco and get quite a surprise. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs somewhere in season 2.

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

The blackness descended around Max as Logan held her in his arms begging her not to leave him. She felt so cold despite being held tight against his warm body. She didn't want to leave him, wanted him to make her warm. Suddenly she was in a field with Logan right beside her. The gunshot was deafening and everything seemed to go in slow motion as Logan pushed her to the ground, the bullet flying straight through his arm. "No!" Max screamed as she sat up in bed waking herself from the nightmare. That's all it had been, a nightmare. 

"It's alright." Logan pulled her back into his arms. He had woken when Max had started shaking uncontrollably beside him. This was the sixth time she had woken from a nightmare in the past three months. It was probably only the sixth time he had seen her fall asleep though. "It's just a nightmare." She was still shaking in his arms. "Is it the same one you've been having for the last three months?" 

"Yeah," Max replied a little too abruptly. She didn't mean to snap but nightmares were part of the reason she didn't sleep in the first place. "Sorry I woke you." She ran her hand across her face as if trying to wipe the nightmare away. "I think I'll go and get something to drink." She didn't want to talk about the nightmare with Logan. He couldn't help. She wasn't even sure he understood why it scared her so much. 

Logan watched Max pull on a robe and walk out of the room. If this was how frightened Max was, he could only guess what Jondy was going through. He had tried to reassure Max that they could get through this together and that they were both safe, but with White stalking the X5 siblings, they just sounded like empty promises. He looked at the clock beside his bed. Jondy would probably still be at work or would have only just got home. Perhaps he would phone in the morning when Max was at work and see if she was having the same problem or if she could help Max with hers. 

Max paced in the kitchen, a glass of milk in her hand. She had been in danger before, so had Logan, so why was it now that the nightmares were haunting her. Because Jondy had lost Devon, the closest thing she had to a partner/husband/boyfriend. It had brought Max to the realization that all of them had something more to lose than they had twelve years ago. Lydecker had been dangerous, but White was insane and persistent. 

She felt Logan's arms go around her waist as he leaned his chin on her shoulder. "I'll be alright in a minute," she reassured him, trying to smile away the concern he saw on his face. Zack had warned her that it had been too dangerous to stay in Seattle, but Jondy had dismissed that recently. She had said Zack had only said that because he was jealous of Logan. The truth was, they weren't safe anywhere. White would leave no stone unturned until he found them. 

"You sure?" Logan wasn't convinced. Her hands were still shaking from the memory of the nightmare. "If it'll make you feel better, I can have somebody look at the security system in this place. Maybe it needs upgrading seeing as all of your siblings can break in here at a moments notice." He turned the last comment into a joke. 

Max laughed. "There's no security system strong enough to keep them out if they want it bad enough." She turned in his arms so that she was facing him. "Thanks for the offer though. I'll be fine." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, unconvinced by her own words. She had been seriously freaked when Logan had been shot on their camping trip and the fear just wouldn't go away. Perhaps she would phone Jondy tomorrow, see if she had a solution to stopping the nightmares. It would give her a chance to check up and see how her sister was doing anyway. 

Nigel held the door open for Jondy to walk out into the night air. "Are you sure you're alright?" He had wanted Jondy to take some time off after Devon had died but she preferred to keep working. As she had told him, she had twelve daughters to support alone now that Devon was gone. As fair skinned as Jondy was Nigel had never seen her this pale before. 

"I'm fine." Jondy smiled at her boss. "I'll see you tomorrow." Waving to him she started walking home. It was only a short distance and she needed the fresh air. Despite what she had told Nigel, she felt queasy and the night air flowing across her clammy skin gave her some relief. She quietly unlocked the door and locked it behind her so that she wouldn't disturb the girls, Kera and Julia. She had to run to the bathroom in the next instance as the queasiness took over. "Not again." She only just made it in time. 

Julia Saunders appeared in the doorway of the bathroom. Accessing Jondy's position leaning over the toilet bowl, she grabbed a clean face cloth and dampened it under the cold tap. Crouching beside the young woman, Julia wiped Jondy's forehead with a damp cloth. "Do you want me to call a dctor?" She winced slightly as Jondy leaned over the toilet again to be sick. 

Jondy finally sat back against the wall and shook her head. "No. No doctors. Besides, I know what's wrong with me." She took the damp cloth off of Julia and ran it over her sweaty face. "Congratulations. You're going to be a grandmother. I'm pregnant." 

Julia knew what had happened on the camping trip in the cave and had wondered when Jondy told her, if there were going to be any unforeseen consequences. "So how does this work?" She sat on the floor beside Jondy. "We can't take you to a doctor, so who's going to deliver the baby? That is if you're going to keep the child." She had never thought about the possibility that Jondy might not want Devon's child. 

"I thought I'd phone Jace and find out what to expect from this pregnancy before I start figuring out about doctors." Jondy had to admit, the thought of having a baby was terrifying her. There was no way she was going to get rid of the only part of Devon she had left. "Things are going to be a bit tight, but as long as we pull together I think we'll be fine." She looked over at Julia. "How do you feel about all of this?" 

Julia smiled and reached out and hugged Jondy. "At least something good came out of that camping trip. Come on. I'll get you some crackers to settle your stomach." She stood up and helped Jondy up. "I can't believe you're actually carrying my son's child." She was so excited. 

"How do you think I feel?" Jondy looked quite daunted at the prospect. "The father of my child was gay. It wasn't exactly one of the ten most romantic moments of my life in that cave." She let Julia lead her to the kitchen. 

Max sat on the edge of the bed the next morning lacing up her shoes trying not to wake Logan. She had kept him awake most of the night with her nightmare. She hadn't wanted to go back to sleep incase she had the nightmare again. She and Logan had ended up playing chess and talking half the night to take her mind off of the bad dream. 

Max sat watching Logan sleep. She felt guilty keeping him awake most of the night. It was one thing for her to go without sleep, it wasn't as though she needed it. It was entirely another for Logan. Carefully leaning forward she kissed him goodbye and left for work. 

Original Cindy eyed her friend's unhappy face as Max walked into Jam Pony. "What's the matter Boo? Logan finally admit he hasn't got the energy to keep up with you all night?" 

Max forced a smile. "He's keeping up just fine." She leaned against the counter beside Original Cindy. "I had that nightmare again." She shook her head. "I don't how to stop it." 

"Let me break it down for you, Boo." Original Cindy nudged Max. "First you gotta understand why you keep having this nightmare. Only then, can you find a way to stop it." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's just my opinion, but you saw how close Jondy and Devon were. Sure it wasn't the hot and heavy relationship you and Mr. Eyes Only have got going on. Still, when Devon died, you got the outsiders view of what can happen when you love someone, and that has got you scared. Cause you don't want what happened to Jondy to happen to you." 

"You know, I hate it when you're right," Max joked with her friend. "Any ideas on how I stop being scared? Cause I don't know how much more Logan can take of being woken up by my nightmares." 

"You phoned Sister Girl lately?" Original Cindy poured herself some coffee. "Maybe she has some answers for you. Might be a good idea to check up on her anyway." 

"I'll phone her tonight." Max saw Normal heading their way. "I thought I'd stay at our crib tonight, give Logan a chance to catch up on some sleep." 

"This isn't a café, ladies." Normal handed each of them a parcel. "Bip, bip, bip." He waved them towards the door. He walked away handing a parcel to Alec, who was on the phone, as he past. 

Logan paused as he went to dial Jondy's phone number. He wondered if it were worth troubling her. She had been through so much. Still it couldn't hurt to phone her to see how she was doing. He quickly dialed the number and waited for someone to pick up. He was a little surprised when one of the girls answered the phone. Jondy usually screened the calls so that the girls would remain safe from cranks or anyone trying to get to her. "Hi, is Jessica there?" 

"Mom's laying down and Grandma says we're not allowed to disturb her." The young voice reported down the phone. 

"Can I speak to your Grandmother then?" Logan was puzzled. It wasn't as though Jondy slept on a regular basis anymore than Max did. Perhaps Devon's death had hit her harder than he had thought. Julia's voice finally came on the line. "Julia? It's Logan. Is Jondy alright?" 

"Yes. She's fine Logan." Julia's voice was cheerful which set Logan's mind at ease. "She's just worn herself out a bit. The girls are just heading off to school and Kera and I are going to work, so it's the best time to try and get some rest." 

Logan had the sneaking feeling that there was something Julia wasn't telling him. "I just wanted to let Jondy know that Max and I will be in San Francisco for the weekend. I have some business to do there, so I thought Max could come with me and catch up with her sister." He hadn't planned to make the trip, he was just going to phone his contact. Something told him, Max needed to see her sister. 

"We'll see you then. I'll let Jessica know you called." Julia sounded quite excited as she hung up. She still used Jondy's alias. 

"Max!" Alec caught up with Max and Cindy at lunch. Not waiting to be invited to join them, Alec sat down beside Max. "Have you spoken to Jessica lately?" He used Jondy's alias just in case somebody was listening. 

"I was going to phone her when I got home. Why?" There was something about the way Alec was asking her that concerned her. 

"I spoke to her this morning." Alec was embarrassed that he had phoned her. He wasn't used to caring about somebody that he barely knew. "She sounded exhausted and sort of strange." 

"You called her?" Max couldn't believe how nervous Alec seemed about calling Jondy. "She'd probably been working all night and getting the girls ready for school this morning." She hadn't spoken to Jondy for about a month mainly because every time she spoke to her, Max realized how much she had to loose. 

"Yeah, but you two don't exactly spend much time sleeping," Alec pointed out. It was something he had noticed on the camping trip three months ago. "I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. Couldn't hurt for you to call her if only to prove me wrong." 

"Boo, that alone is worth calling Sister Girl." Original Cindy couldn't hide the smirk on her face. "We can call her tonight." 

"Thanks for the heads up, Alec." Max begrudgingly thanked him. "I was going to call her tonight anyway." She hoped Alec was wrong. 

That afternoon she let herself into Logan's apartment. "Logan! You here?" She noticed Logan had pulled a suitcase out of the closet. "You going somewhere?" 

Logan walked out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hand. "We." He kissed her hello. "We're going to San Francisco for the weekend. You're not working, are you?" He hadn't thought to ask first. 

"Did you speak to Jondy, by any chance?" Max was suspicious. "Let me guess, she sounded exhausted and sort of strange. And no, I'm not working this weekend." 

Logan was confused by Max's outburst. "Actually I didn't speak to Jondy. She was lying down when I called. I spoke to Julia who told me that Jondy had worn herself out." 

"You don't believe her though." Max had to admit, that didn't sound like the Jondy she knew. 

"Oh I believe her." Logan moved over to the sofa and sat down. "I just felt like there was something she wasn't telling me. I sort of told her that I had business in San Francisco and I was bringing you with me. It's suddenly occurred to me that I should have floated this idea with you first." 

Max was touched that Logan valued her opinion. "You did the right thing. Just check with me before you plan something like this next time." She smiled at him. 

Max and Logan left for San Francisco Friday afternoon. Julia met them at the door when they arrived and immediately showed them to the room she had made up for them. "Jondy's at work, but she said she'll catch up with you in the morning." Julia couldn't seem to stop smiling. 

Max waited until she and Logan were alone before voicing her observation with him. "Is it just me, or is Julia surprisingly upbeat for someone who lost her son three months ago?" 

Logan shook his head. "It's not just you. When I spoke to her on the phone the other day, she sounded sort of excited about something. I guess we'll just have to wait for Jondy to get back from work." 

It was the early hours of the next morning when Max finally heard Jondy come home. Gently untangling herself from Logan so as not to wake him, she pulled some clothes on and went to find her sister. 

She found Jondy sitting in the kitchen munching on some crackers straight from the carton while writing a shopping list. "Hey." 

Jondy looked up and smiled at her sister. "Hey, yourself." She put the pen and the crackers down long enough to hug her sister. "Logan asleep?" 

Max sat down beside Jondy and nodded. "Yeah. I've woken him up a lot lately with my nightmares. He's been pretty good about it, but I think it's taking its toll on him." 

Jondy looked concerned. "What are the nightmares about?" 

"Me dying, Logan getting shot. You know, the usual why can't I be a normal girl stuff. Logan tries to be supportive, but I don't think he really understands." Max pointed to the crackers. "What's that about?" 

Jondy stood up and put the kettle on for a cup of tea. "They stop the morning sickness." She turned back to face Max. "Have you actually talked about your nightmares with Logan?" 

"Yeah." Then it clicked with Max what Jondy had just said. "You have morning sickness? You're pregnant? Is that why Julia's walking around with a huge smile on her face?" 

"Yes, yes and yes." Jondy handed Max a cup of tea. "And before you ask, the baby is Devon's." She tried to read the expression on Max's face. "Ok, you've got me stumped. Is that expression shocked, happily shocked, disgusted or confused?" 

"I think it's surprised, but I'm not sure." Max was stunned. "How do you feel about all this?" She hadn't expected this sort of news. 

"I don't really know." Jondy admitted. "It's not a planned pregnancy obviously. I'm actually pretty scared. I'm not exactly your normal everyday mother. I've got a lot to consider, but I've got a lot of people looking out for me." She could see Max was still pretty stunned. "You and Julia are the only two who know so far. I guess I have a few phone calls to make." 

Max hugged her sister. "You know I'll help wherever I can. Logan and Alec knew something was up when they phoned here." 

Jondy chuckled. "I suppose I have been acting really strange lately. You want to help me tell the others about the upcoming addition to our family?" 

"Sure." Max was beginning to feel a little excited about the baby, now that she had gotten over the shock. "Can I start with Logan?" 

Jondy nodded. "We'll phone the others in the morning." She stood and rinsed her cup. "I'm going to try and get a couple of hours sleep before the girls get up and want breakfast." 

Max smiled at her sister. "I can hear Logan moving around, so I think I'll tell him the good news." She headed back to her room. Sure enough, Logan had woken to find Max gone and was about to go looking for her. "So I found out what's wrong with Jondy and why Julia's smiling so much." 

Logan was still half asleep, but he could tell by Max's face that Jondy didn't have anything life threatening. "Do you want me to guess, cause my brain's still asleep." 

"She's about three months pregnant." Max giggled at the expression on Logan's face. "Now I know what I must have looked like when Jondy told me." 

"I thought she wasn't seeing anyone." Then Logan realized who the father was. "Devon? No wonder Julia's so happy. It's like getting a part of her son back I guess." He sat down on the bed. "Wow. How's Jondy coping with all of this?" 

Max sat down beside him. "Alright, I guess. She's been getting morning sickness and she's a bit scared about the whole thing. Jondy will manage though, she always does. I'm not sure that I'd be doing as well in her position." 

Logan considered what Jondy's life had been like, just in the time he had known her. "She has a lot of people looking out for her though. This kid is going to be so spoilt, you realize that don't you." He chuckled at the thought of Zane being an uncle to a baby. 

Max beamed. "I know Jace has a baby girl and there's Tinga's little boy, but this baby is the first that I have a real chance of being an Aunt to." 

Logan loved seeing Max this excited. "I think you're getting a bigger buzz out of this than Jondy. How long did it take you to get over being shocked?" 

"A good ten minutes." Max snuggled closer to Logan. "Thanks for bringing me here. I know I've been grouchy lately with having those nightmares." 

Logan kissed the top of her head. "It's Ok. I know you have a lot on your mind. Devon's death shook us all up. Maybe this baby is the chance at a real life that you've all been looking for." 

"Maybe." Max hadn't considered that possibility. 

Alec looked around the empty street before moving out onto it. He had the distinct feeling that he was being watched. He hadn't gone far before he found out who had been watching him. 

"You're loosing your touch, mate." British Eddie stepped out from behind a dumpster. "Used to be a time you would have heard me coming." He smiled evilly. "Your little girl friend not with you? She owes me a solider." 

"What can I tell you, she went to visit her sister." Alec shrugged his shoulders. "But I'll let her know you asked after her." He slapped Eddie on the back. "Gotta warn you though, you're not her type." Alec turned and walked away. 

"Very bloody funny," British Eddie's voice rang out behind him. "Just remember: Payback's a bastard." 

Alec pulled out his cell phone and dialed Jondy's number. He couldn't help but smile when he heard her husky voice. Maybe this family thing wasn't so bad. "Hey, Jondy. So did the love birds arrive alright?" 

"Yeah. I gave them a bit of a shock when I got home from work." Her voice on the other end of the phone sounded unsure. She took a deep breath. "So how do you feel about being an Uncle?" 

For a moment Alec wondered if he had actually heard her right. "You're going to have a baby? When?" He couldn't believe that she was including him in this. 

"Well, I have to check a few things out, but providing I have a normal pregnancy, I'm due in about six months time." Jondy had to admit, if only to herself that she wasn't sure if she would lean towards her feline DNA or her human, where her pregnancy was concerned. 

"Congratulations." Alec couldn't believe that he was going to have a niece or a nephew. "Hey, can I speak to Max for a moment?" He waited for Max's voice to come on the line. "I had a run in with Eddie. He's sort of pissed at you for taking Zack off of his hands. How long are you staying with Jondy?" 

"We're heading back tomorrow night." Max was wary of Alec's warning. "They don't know I'm in San Francisco do they?" The last thing Jondy needed was Steelheads turning up on the doorstep. 

"No. I told him you were visiting your sister. I didn't say where. I wouldn't do that to Jondy." Alec could hear Jondy saying something in the background. "What did Jondy say?" He was sure he had heard his name mentioned. 

"She said can you stop by Joshua's and let him know about the baby." Max was going to ask Alec to check up on Joshua anyway. 

"Sure. I'll see you guys when you get back." Alec hung up the phone. He still couldn't believe he was going to be an Uncle. "Uncle Alec. That sounds kinda cool," he chuckled to himself as he headed for Joshua's. 

When Logan returned from his meeting he found Max on the hotel phone and Jondy on her cell phone. They both finished their calls at the same time. "So does the whole family know now?" He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down beside Max. 

"Between the two of us and Alec's gonna tell Joshua, we've got it covered." Max ticked the last name off her list. "Original Cindy said to say congrats." 

Jondy gave her a tired smile. "Thanks. My boss, Nigel said my job's safe but he doesn't want me dealing with the trouble makers while I'm pregnant, which is fair enough." She chuckled. "I don't think I like this needing so much sleep thing though." 

"What did Jace have to say?" Max knew Jondy would ask Jace what to expect with her pregnancy. Their sister was the only one with that knowledge. 

"I'm looking at the normal nine months. Charlie brought up the interesting point of the child's enhanced strength and intelligence once it gets older, like Case." Jondy raised her eyebrow. "I think I'll just try and deal with the next six months at the moment." 

"You know, if you need a doctor, I have a friend who can probably help." Logan had figured that Jondy couldn't just go to any Doctor. "Sam Carr has helped out before. He knows how to keep quiet." 

"Thanks. I might take you up on that." Jondy smiled gratefully. "Everybody's been so great since Devon died. Even Alec's been phoning up everyday to check up on me." 

"That's not like Alec." Max frowned. "I'm not sure what's going on with him at the moment. He's not his usual selfish self lately. He even warned me about the Steelheads looking for me." 

"They still mad about you taking Zack away from them?" Logan didn't like the sound of this. If the Steelheads couldn't use Zack, then they would grab anyone from Manticore that they could. 

"Yeah. They're sort of petty like that." Max squeezed his hand to reassure him. "Don't worry. The Steelheads aren't exactly known for their intelligence. Besides, if anything happens to me the great 'Eyes Only' will be all over it." Max teased. 

"You know, I hear he's pretty hot." Jondy joined in the teasing. "But you never know about these guys that hide behind their computers." 

"Very funny." Logan laughed good naturedly at their ribbing. "Laugh all you want but 'Eyes Only' has helped a lot of people whilst hiding behind his computer." 

"With a lot of assistance from his transgenic guardian angel," Max pointed out. "Not to mention her sister, the equally transgenic doctor." She gestured to Jondy like the game show hostess' on the television. 

"Yes, well I will be forever grateful to both of you." Logan knew how much he owed the two women. "Someone was certainly smiling down on me when I met you." He looked Max straight in the eye. 

"On that note, I think I'll go and get ready for work." Jondy left the happy couple and went to find Julia. A couple of the girls were late getting home from friend's places. Jondy had told them to let Julia know where they were going. 

At the bar later, Nigel leaned against the counter beside Jondy. "So what do you want? A boy or a girl?" It was still early so the bar was quiet. 

Jondy hadn't really considered it. "I don't mind. I think Julia would like a grandson. I already have the twelve girls. I'd just be happy with a healthy baby." She gave the room a quick glance before returning to polishing the glasses. "I've got to check out doctors considering my physician is now deceased." 

Nigel started restocking the shelves. "Got anyone in mind? Cause I can find out who delivered my sister's baby if you want." 

"Thanks for the offer." Jondy was touched by the thought. "But I thought that I would try out the family doctor. If I have any problems, I'll let you know." 

At Metro Medical, Dr. Sam Carr was working late again. He was checking a few test results when the phone rang. "Hello?" Who could be ringing at this time of night. 

"Hey, Sam, it's Logan. Sorry to call so late." He sounded out of breath down the phone. "I was wondering if you could take a look at a pregnant friend." 

Sam chuckled to himself. "Let me guess, nobody else can know about it and I'm going to have to destroy all record of her being here." He stopped looking through the test results for a moment. "It's not Max is it?" That would certainly explain Logan being out of breath. 

"No, it's not Max. It's her sister." Logan sounded confused by the question. "And yes, all the usual rules apply. I wouldn't be asking but her normal doctor who as it happens is also the baby's father, recently died." 

"Of course I'll help. Can she be in here on Monday?" Sam was always happy to help Logan. He had been a good friend for years. "If she comes in early, there will be less questions asked." 

Logan muttered to someone in the background. "She'll be there. I'll probably bring her in myself. Thanks for doing this, Sam. I owe you one." 

"No problem, Logan. See you on Monday." Sam hung up the phone. He couldn't wait to see who or what Logan was going to bring in. The last time, the patient had been part machine. 

Julia and Kera assured them that they could look after the girls for a couple of nights, while Jondy visited Seattle for a check up. 

It was late when they got back to Seattle on Sunday night. Jondy had brought her own car so that she could get home. Logan set his guestroom up for Jondy. She immediately went to lie down. 

"You know I don't think I will ever get used to Jondy needing sleep." Logan cuddled up with Max on the sofa. "She seems to be getting used to the whole big family thing. Devon always said that she was a natural Mother." 

"Yeah." Max rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't think she ever intended to take the parenting on alone." She looked up at Logan. "I know Jondy has a lot of support but she's still so alone." 

Logan kissed the top of Max's head. "I have a feeling she'll find someone worthy of her. It's just going to take some time." 

Max sat by the window looking out into the empty streets. This had been one of her better weekends. She had to wonder if it was wise to bring a child into this screwed up world. Max had no doubt that Jondy would fiercely protect her child from the world she and her Manticore siblings had always feared. 

"You trying to stay awake so that you won't have nightmares?" Jondy sat down beside Max and stared out the window with her. "Surely Logan can help you to stay awake," she teased her sister. 

"No, I was just thinking." Max shot her sister a look of mock anger. "Besides Logan needs his sleep. He's not like us remember." There were times especially lately, that she wondered if they were just too different. 

"Thank God for that." Jondy exclaimed. "Can you imagine being with one of our transgenic brothers? You and I are screwed up enough all by ourselves without adding a transgenic partner to the picture. That really would screw my kid up." 

Max could see Jondy's point. She felt a twinge of sadness that Zack would never get to know his niece or nephew. But then she remembered, he was less than thrilled about Tinga having a husband and son. He felt that they put her in danger. There was no doubt in her mind that her brothers would make excellent fathers, but their Manticore training tended to get in the way. "Logan thinks your kid is going to be so spoilt." 

Jondy giggled. "He's probably right. Julia and the girls are so excited about this baby." She became serious. "I've been thinking about your nightmares and I need you to think about something for me. We've spent most of our lives running. You actually blew Manticore up, so that you could stop running and we could all have normal lives." 

Jondy watched her sister to make sure what she was saying was sinking in. "When things get tough, it's our first instinct to run. Don't do that with Logan. I can't promise you that neither of you are going to get hurt in one way or another. Don't let your fear drive you away from the best thing that's ever happened to you." She took hold of Max's hand. "Because if you do, then Manticore and White win." 

Max took a moment to consider what Jondy was saying. "You think I should stay with Logan to piss White and Manticore off. That's kind of feelingless." She frowned. 

Jondy rolled her eyes. "No. I'm saying you should stop being afraid of loosing Logan and make the most of the future you have together. White and Manticore want us to be scared. I'm not going to be scared anymore, I won't let them win." She glanced over her shoulder at Logan's bedroom door. "When he looks at you, it's like nobody else is on the face of the planet but the two of you." She smiled sadly. "I've never had somebody look at me the way Logan looks at you. As corny as it sounds, when I see you two, it's not hard to believe in true love." 

Max hugged her sister. "You're going to be such a great mom. Those girls you adopted are going to bring you all of their boyfriend problems and you'll have the perfect solution every time." 

"Is this a private moment or can anyone join in?" Logan walked out of the bedroom rubbing his eyes. He still hadn't gotten used to falling asleep with Max in his arms only to wake and find her gone. 

"I don't know about anyone, but I guess there's enough room for you." Max reached out her arm to Logan and pulled him into their hug. "You know, I think Sketchy had a dream like this once." They all dissolved into giggles. 

At Metro Medical, early the next morning, Sam Carr watched Logan walked towards him with a petite redhead beside him. The closer they got, the more familiar the redhead looked. Then he remembered when Max had been brought into the hospital and then disappeared from her room. There had been a redheaded nurse that had gone into the room just before she had disappeared. It had never occurred to him that the mystery nurse had been Max's sister. 

Logan reached out and shook Sam's hand. "Morning Sam." He gestured to Jondy. "This is Jessica. Max's sister." He put his arm around his nervous friend. He was asking a lot of her to trust a complete stranger like this. He was touched that Jondy felt safe enough with him to trust his judgment. 

"Nice to finally be able to put a name to the face." Sam shook Jondy's hand. "I almost didn't recognize you without your nurses uniform on though." He ushered both Logan and Jondy into an examination room. "So do you have any information about your pregnancy?" He wasn't sure if Jondy had, had any check ups what so ever. 

"I estimate that I'm approximately three months pregnant. There haven't been too many side effects. I get tired which I never used to and I've had some morning sickness which I've discovered dry crackers gets rid of." Jondy rattled everything off. 

Logan was no expert, but it all seemed like a normal pregnancy to him. "The main reason we're here, Sam, is so that Jessica can get a check up and make sure the baby's alright." 

Sam nodded that he understood. "Ok. Why don't you wait outside for a little while, Logan, while I examine Jessica. I'll call you back in when we're finished." Sam could see that Logan was quite protective of the young woman. 

"I'll be right outside." Logan squeezed Jondy's hand and then stood and walked outside the examination room. It seemed to take forever to Logan, but he realized it was probably just because he was worried about Jondy getting caught. Finally Sam called him back in. 

Sam smiled sincerely at his friend. "Jessica is doing just fine and so is her baby." He focused his attention back onto Jondy. "You'll have to make sure you get plenty of rest, eat properly and try not to over do things." 

"I think that I can manage that." Jondy smiled at the Doctor. "I'll see you in a months time then." She was eager to get out of there. She hated hospitals, they reminded her too much of Manticore. 

Max and Alec finished their morning deliveries and headed back to Jam Pony to meet up with Logan and Jondy for lunch. Alec glanced over at Max who seemed a million miles away. "You still tripping on becoming an Aunt again?" 

Max sniggered to herself. "I sort of got over that in San Francisco. I was just considering something Jondy said last night. She gave me a lot to think about." 

Alec stopped his bike suddenly. "I think we have something else to think about. Somebody let the monsters out again." Three Steelheads stood blocking their way. He leaned towards Max. "You take the two on the left, I'll take the one on the right." 

Max looked at Alec as though he were insane. "Let me get this straight, you're going to take on the woman, while I get the two guys." 

Alec grinned. "Yeah, sounds fair to me. What? You have a problem with this?" The look on Max's face was priceless. "You know if you would just strip we wouldn't be having this problem." 

Birdy looked at his two associates. "As much as I hate to break up this debate the two of you are having, Eddie wants to see you two." 

"Actually he only wants her." Tuck pointed to Max. "You, he just wants to beat the crap out of." He turned to Alec. "Can't say I blame him for that." 

Lux ran her metal fingernails down Alec's chest. "Don't worry, baby. I think I can convince Eddie to let me have you." 

"See, we have a problem with all of that." Max dropped her bike and took a fighting stance beside Alec. "For starters Eddie's not my type. Secondly, I don't think my boyfriend would be very amused if I ran off with someone that ugly." 

"Can't say I would." Logan brought a crowbar down across Tuck's shoulders knocking him to the ground. "You guys ready for lunch?" He signaled Jondy to bring the car over. 

"I so am." Max kicked Birdy in the groin and then twirled into a spin kick, which threw him clear across the street. "Alec, hurry up." She jumped into the car while Logan threw the bikes in the back of the car. 

"Gotta go." Alec threw Lux out of the way. "So where are we having lunch?" He climbed into the back where Jondy had moved to." 

Logan jumped into the car and floored the gas pedal. "As far away from here as possible." He gave the occupants of his car a quick glance. "Everybody alright?" 

"Yeah. Does somebody want to tell me what the hell they were?" Jondy had spotted Max and Alec from the car as they drove past. Logan had insisted she stay in the car due to her condition. 

"Steelheads. The same ones who got hold of Zack." Max had phoned Jondy and explained what had happened when their brother had come back from the dead. As much as she missed her brother, Jondy had told Max she had done the right thing for everyone concerned. 

"Kinda gross, aren't they?" Alec turned to Jondy. Being pregnant obviously agreed with her, she seemed to glow. "So how's impending motherhood?" 

"Sam says Jondy and the baby are doing fine." Logan shot over his shoulder. "I think we'd better get you some food though." He hadn't see Jondy eat much for breakfast, which ordinarily wouldn't be a problem. Jondy was eating for two now though. 

Max struggled not to laugh at Logan being so protective. "Anything else we should know about Jondy? Cause you appear to be an expert on my sister at the moment." If it were anyone but Jondy, Max probably would have been jealous. She knew that Logan looked on Jondy as though she were his own sister. 

"Sorry." Logan kept thinking, if the two sisters were in opposite situations, he would want someone looking out for Max. "I'm getting carried away with the protective thing, aren't I?" 

Alec and Jondy were giggling in the back of the car. The seriousness of the situation they had all escaped from hadn't eluded them. It just struck them as funny that Jondy's pregnancy took priority over everything else. 

The following night Max and Logan sat up on the space needle. Jondy had returned home that morning. The last few days had been full of surprises. "It's going to be an interesting six months," Max voiced her thoughts aloud. 

Logan chuckled at her comment. His cousin Bennett had phoned earlier to let him know Maryanne had given birth to a baby boy. They had named him Jonas after Bennett's late father. "You staying at my place tonight or going home." For some reason he needed to be close to what family he had left tonight. Max was more than just a girlfriend that came and went as she pleased. She was his family, his world. 

"I thought I'd stay with you tonight." Max had managed to get over her nightmares for one night. "Original Cindy's got a date tonight so I thought I'd give her some space." 

"So what sort of future do you see for your forthcoming niece or nephew?" Logan knew Max had been thinking about it a lot lately. 

Max leaned back in Logan's arms. "With all of the Aunts and Uncles not to mention sisters this kids future's going to be incredibly bright." She knew how much Logan hated heights, but every now and again he pushed his fears aside to be with her. "You ok?" 

Logan tightened his arms around Max. With her in his arms, he felt as though he could face all his fears. "I'm fine." 

They sat like that until the sun set. Make the most of the time you have together Jondy had told Max. Max was determined to do just that. 

_The End_


	11. Is There a Doctor in the House?

**"Is There a Doctor In the House?"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Devon, Julia, Kera, the twins and Kellie however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

While surrounded by Steelheads, Jondy goes into labor. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs somewhere in season 2.

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

British Eddie watched the scene unfolding before him from a dark corner. All of this time he had been looking for the Manticore kid's weakness and it had been right in front of him. He knew that they had been trained to be the perfect soldiers, to kill without hesitation or emotion. Somewhere along the line, these particular ones had made friends and by the looks of the couple by the pool table, fallen in love. 

Eddie had received word that the dark haired girl by the pool table with her boyfriend was worth a lot of money. Only if she was brought in alive and in one piece. A request had also been issued for her redheaded sister, whom Eddie had never seen. Chances were that the sister was close by. 

"Are you two going to play pool or just use that table as a leaning post while you two chow down on each other." Original Cindy stood, hands on hips watching Max and Logan passionately kissing each other as though they had been apart for years instead of one day. 

"Leaning post!" they both replied before returning to their kiss. 

"That's the first time they've come up for air in the last half an hour." Sketchy nudged Cindy. "What the hell did you get them to drink?" He sniffed at Max's glass of beer. "Smells like normal beer." He sipped the brown liquid. "Tastes like normal beer." 

"Fool." Original Cindy smacked Sketchy across the back of the head. "That is normal beer. Those two are high on each other." 

"I know I told you to make the most of your time together, but I think I speak for everyone when I say, get a room." A now familiar British accent rang out from behind them. When they all turned around, they came face to face with a very pregnant Jondy. 

Original Cindy walked over and hugged her friend. "Amen to that. You look good, girl." 

Jondy raised her eyebrow at Cindy. "I look fat. I can't even remember the last time I saw my feet and I have an excellent memory." 

Max stood with Logan behind her, his arms around her waist. She had never seen her sister look so beautiful. Jondy glowed radiantly. Although it was obvious that her sister was pregnant, she certainly wasn't fat. "Cindy's right, you look good." She reached out and hugged her sister. "Have you been to see Dr. Carr?" 

Jondy nodded. "Baby is on schedule and everything appears to be going as it should." She sat down beside Sketchy. "I don't suppose you two noticed you were being watched?" 

Logan frowned. "Watched? By whom?" He tried not to be obvious as he looked around the room. "I can't see anyone, can you?" he whispered into Max's ear. 

Max focused her eyesight on the darker areas of the bar. She could see someone shrinking further into the shadows. "British Eddie's playing hide and seek." Max spotted Alec walking over to greet Jondy. "I think it's time to leave." 

"Hey, mother to be." Alec gently hugged Jondy, frightened that he might hurt her or the baby. "You look ready to pop." Suddenly he felt the baby kick him from inside the petite redhead. "What was that?" 

Jondy giggled. "My son wasn't amused with you commenting on my expanded figure." She took Alec's hand and held it on her stomach. "That's your nephew kicking you." 

Alec looked at her in wonder. "He feels strong. Doesn't that hurt?" He'd never been this close to someone who was expecting a baby before. 

"Sorry to interrupt this Kodak moment." Max tapped Alec on the shoulder. "I can only see the one Steelhead, but I'm not keen on waiting for his buddies to join him." She saw the look on Alec's face. "You felt the baby kick, didn't you?" 

Alec nodded. "What do you want to do?" He was still astounded at feeling the unborn child kick him. 

"Logan's gone to get the car. I need you to get Jondy out of here and back to Logan's." Max had explained everything to Original Cindy. "Make sure you don't get followed, Alec. You have precious cargo with you." Max walked into the ladies room and climbed out the window and straight into Logan's car where he was waiting for her. 

Logan made sure the way was clear before pulling the car out onto the road. "So much for a quiet night out with friends," he joked with Max. "Remember when a quiet night out didn't involve both of us climbing out of bathroom windows?" 

Max giggled. "Yeah, it used to involve me climbing up the side of a building to rob it." 

Alec stopped by Joshua's place so that he could make sure they weren't being followed. After leaving Jondy in Joshua's capable hands, he did a quick drive around the block in Jondy's car. When he got back, Alec found a fascinated Joshua staring at Jondy's swollen stomach. "What's up with him?" 

Jondy patted Joshua's hand. "Joshua was under the impression that babies were made in test tubes." She had become so used to seeing her canine friend when she visited Seattle that sometimes she forgot he had spent most of his life trapped in Manticore. Life outside was still strange and new to him. 

"Think of it this way, Josh," Alec managed to get Joshua's attention away from Jondy's stomach for a moment. "Jondy is the test tube." 

This made perfect sense to Joshua. He helped Jondy to get out of the chair she was sitting in. "When will the baby arrive?" He was so excited. 

"In the next couple of weeks." Jondy loved seeing Joshua like this. He was like a child looking forward to Christmas. "We'd better get going. I'll come and see you in a couple of days." She hugged Joshua goodbye. 

Back at Logan's apartment, Max had started to pace. "What's taking them so long? They should have gotten back here ages ago." 

"Alec probably just wanted to be certain they weren't being followed." Logan was trying to stay calm as well. Who knew what the Steelheads would do if they got their hands on a pregnant X5. 

The sound of the door opening instantly erased their concerns. Alec and Jondy walked in totally unaware of how much they had alarmed Max and Logan. Alec helped Jondy ease into a chair. "There you go. Delivered safe and sound." He kissed Jondy on the cheek and headed back out the door. "Gotta blaze." He waved goodbye over his shoulder. 

Max slumped down beside Jondy. "What took you guys so long? I was starting to get worried." 

"Alec wanted to make sure that we weren't followed, so he dropped me off with Joshua while he did a circuit around the block." Jondy tried to get comfortable but it wasn't easy. 

Logan went and fetched a couple of pillows for Jondy. "How did he react to the change in your appearance?" He realized this was something different for Joshua to observe. 

Jondy struggled not to laugh. "We had the 'Where do Babies come from' talk. He only seemed to understand when Alec explained that I was the test tube." She wasn't exactly sure whether or not to be insulted. 

Max's jaw dropped. "I should have remembered Joshua's only ever known about genetically engineered children. The whole doing it the natural way is completely foreign to him." Then she began to giggle herself. "How do you end up with all of the heavy discussions with Joshua?" 

Jondy shook her head as she leaned back against the pillows Logan had positioned behind her, so that she was more comfortable. "I don't know. I suppose it's good practice." 

Logan raised his eyebrows. "I guess that's one way to look at it. The guest room's all made up for you when you're ready." He had assumed that she would stay there considering the lift was broken again at Max's apartment building. 

"Thanks. You know I can stay with Original Cindy. I can still climb stairs." Jondy didn't want to intrude. Max and Logan looked as though they had plans for just the two of them when she had walked into Crash tonight. 

"You're staying here." Logan said firmly. He knew Max would feel better with her sister staying there. "Why don't I fix us something to eat." He walked into the kitchen leaving the two sisters to talk. 

In the morning Jondy eased herself out of bed. Her back was aching again, usually walking around helped a bit. She showered and dressed feeling a little better. 

"Morning." Logan walked into the kitchen where Jondy had started clearing the dishwasher. "Leave that Jondy, I'll do it later." His hair was sticking up on end as he had just climbed out of bed. Logan had been working on his computer most of the night, so Max had decided to sleep at her own place. 

"It's alright. I don't mind." Jondy needed to keep busy. She had never been one to just sit down and relax. It wasn't in her genes. She finally sat down beside Logan and watched him inhaling his cup of coffee. "You really aren't a morning person, are you?" 

Logan glanced up and smiled. "What gave me away? My face in my coffee or the grunts I'm giving you for answers?" He noticed she was rubbing her lower back a lot this morning. "You alright?" 

Jondy nodded. "I'm not used to carry this extra weight on the front of my body. It's sort of taking its toll on my back. One of the joys of being pregnant." She got up and walked into the living room and started rearranging the cushions. "Why don't you go and shower and change. Then we can go and meet Max for breakfast." 

Logan frowned to himself. Jondy was acting a little strange. "Alright. I won't be long." He headed for the shower, not really wanting to leave her alone for too long. He phoned Max while the shower was heating up and arranged for her to meet them. 

Breakfast was a happy event and Logan began to wonder if he had been concerned over nothing. The three of them started walking down the quiet street back towards Logan's car. Logan felt the two women stop. He slowly turned to see what the problem was. They were both looking around them, searching for something. "What's wrong?" 

Max took hold of Logan's jacket sleeve. "Get Jondy outta here now." Then she heard a noise behind her. "Too late." 

British Eddie and his crew surrounded them. Each of the Steelheads was armed. "Long time, no see." Eddie eyeballed Max. "Did you miss me, Sweetie?" 

"You call that an English accent?" Jondy didn't have time to mess around with these morons. Her water had just broken. "Have you no class?" Moving quicker than any woman in her condition should have been able to, she grabbed Lux at the base of her neck as she had been trained to. "How about I start removing your girlfriend's back bone. Metal or bone, it's still manageable." 

Max had pulled Logan with her behind Birdy, whom she had grabbed in the same hold that Jondy had on Lux. "You don't mind if we don't stick around with you, do you?" There was something about the look on her sister's face that told Max, they needed to get out of there fast. 

Logan reached around Max and took Birdy's gun. "We'll be leaving now." His car was only a few feet away, but he didn't want to turn his back on the Steelheads. 

"The women are worth too much money to me, mate." Eddie was brimming with confidence. "Seeing as Red over there is expecting a sprog, I could probably up the price on her." He held Logan's gaze. "You on the other hand are just spare parts." 

"Eddie, she's breaking my spine." Lux could barely get the words out. Jondy's grip was getting tighter and tighter. It was the cold, expressionless look on Jondy's face that was really frightening Lux. 

Tuck was starting to get nervous. He had a terrible feeling that they'd all be dead before they could even fire off a shot. "Eddie, do something. They'll kill all of us." 

"Not before I kill him." Eddie took aim at Logan. As he was about to pull the trigger, the sound of someone walking down the street whistling caught his attention. 

Logan took the opportunity to fire the gun he had taken from Birdy and shoot the gun out of Eddie's hand. Max wrenched Birdy's arm out of its socket and threw him to the ground. Alec appeared out of nowhere and knocked Tuck flying. 

Alec looked up and saw that Jondy still had a death like grip on Lux. "Hey, you ok?" Lux looked as though she was about to fall unconscious. Delivering a kick to Tuck's face, knocking him out Alec walked slowly over to Jondy. "I think you can let go now." 

Jondy released her grip and let the woman fall to the ground. "Get me Dr .Carr now," she spoke through clenched teeth. "I'm in labor." 

"Oh God." Alec had no idea what to do. "Max! She's having the baby." He swung Jondy into his arms and headed towards Logan's car. "When you called me and asked me to pick you up so that those two could have some time alone together, this wasn't quite what I pictured." 

Logan slammed the handle of the gun into Eddie's face. "Guess you're not going to get that money after all." He ran over to the car, closely followed by Max. "How far apart are the contractions?" He didn't really want to have to deliver Jondy's baby in his car. 

Alec looked over his shoulder at Logan. "Put it this way, do either of you know how to deliver a baby? Cause I don't think she's going to make it to the other side of town." 

"Fine." Max pulled Alec out of the car. "You get yourself to Metro Medical. Find Dr. Sam Carr and get him to Logan's. We'll take Jondy back there, it's closer." She watched Alec race down the street. "I'm guessing he's got transport." She looked over at Logan who was climbing into the driver's seat. 

"The speed you guys can run." Logan started the car up as Max climbed in the back with Jondy. "He'll probably get there faster on foot." Although he wanted to get Jondy back to his apartment as fast as possible, he also wanted to be sure that they weren't followed. 

When they pulled into the car park of his apartment building, Logan quickly parked the car and picked Jondy up out of the backseat. "How are we doing?" Jondy was trying to breathe through the contractions, so all he got in reply was an annoyed look. "I'll take that as a hurry up answer." 

Max ran ahead and pushed the lift button. The doors opened a couple of seconds later. "The contractions are getting pretty close together. This baby wants out now." She was worried about Logan and herself having to deliver the baby. If there were any complications with the birth, they could loose Jondy and the baby. It wasn't something she could face thinking about. 

Alec raced into Metro Medical and up to the front desk. "Dr. Sam Carr. Where can I find him?" Any other time, he would have started to chat up the pretty nurse on the other side of the desk. 

"Dr. Carr is in surgery." The nurse smiled at Alec. "I'll get another doctor for you." When Alec shook his head, she frowned. "Are you alright?" 

Alec glanced down at the nurse's name badge. "Listen Kellie. My sister is probably giving birth in my brother-in-law's apartment as we speak. She won't accept any other doctor. Only Dr Carr." He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess they bonded." 

"I'm sorry, but Dr. Carr could be in surgery for hours." Kellie calmly explained. "I could probably check and see how the surgery is going to get a better idea of when he will be out." 

"Thanks. That would be great." Alec dialed Logan's apartment. The phone was answered on the second ring. "Max, the doctor's in surgery. I'm trying to find out how long he'll be. How's Jondy doing?" He could hear somebody yelling abuse in the background. 

"Well, the contractions are right on top of each other. Jondy's not going to be able to hold on much longer." Max looked towards the guestroom. "I didn't realize Jondy even knew that sort of language." 

"Look, I'll get Dr. Carr there as soon as I can." Alec heard Logan call Max. "Do your best until we get there." He hung up the phone when he saw Kellie coming towards him. 

Back at Logan's apartment, Max scrubbed her hands and grabbed some clean towels, carrying them into the guestroom where she had left Jondy and Logan. 

"Do you even know how to deliver a baby?" Logan sat behind Jondy and gently rubbed her back. "Cause I know exactly zip." 

Max looked up at him. "It's not my strong point, but we can't exactly take her to the hospital and get another Doctor. White would be there in seconds." 

Jondy was exhausted. Her red hair was sticking to her damp face and neck. "You know what, I've had enough. The baby can stay in there. I'm going home." Her lovely face screwed up in pain. "Oh God, here comes another one." She grabbed hold of Logan's free hand. 

"I want you to push with this contraction." Max was trying to calm her sister down. The problem was, she was panicking too and she had a feeling that Jondy was crushing Logan's hand. 

"You push. Why the hell couldn't Devon be here for me to blame all of this on?" Jondy knew that she was being unreasonable and wasn't really making sense, but she was in pain and didn't care. 

"So blame me." It was the first thing Logan thought of. "You want to blame someone, blame me. I'm here doing nothing. I might as well be useful." 

"I don't care who you blame, just push," Max ordered. She shot Logan a grateful look as Jondy started to push. "That's it, Jondy, I can see the head." 

"If Devon weren't already dead, I'd be killing him for this." Jondy growled out between clenched teeth. "This is the last time I try to cure a gay man from shock in a cave." 

Logan was struggling not to laugh at Jondy's ranting. "Come on, Jondy, you're doing great." He gently pushed her hair off of her face. 

Max hated to see her sister in so much pain, but had to admire the way Logan was handling the whole thing. "That's right, Jondy, you're doing great. Now I need you to push again. If you can get the shoulders out, I can help you." 

"You want both shoulders out?" Jondy looked shocked at the request. "You don't want much do you?" She got a better grip on Logan's hand and started to push. 

"Come on, Jondy, you know what to do." Logan had a feeling she might have to tell them how to help her. 

"Of course I know what to do." Jondy grumbled as she pushed. "I don't have to be happy about it though, do I." 

Logan chuckled. "I guess you have a point. I can't say I'd want to swap places with you." He tried to look innocent when Jondy looked up at him in disbelief. "What? You think if men were willing to go through all this, women would still be the ones having the babies?" 

"He's got a point." Max could see the shoulders. "Ok, I'm thinking another big push should get the baby out with a little help from Aunty Max." 

"Oh great. More pushing." Jondy didn't know how much more of this she could take. She'd never been this exhausted before. "Ok, here goes nothing." She took a deep breath and pushed. 

"It's a boy." Max pulled the baby free of his mother and wrapped him up in a nearby towel after cutting the cord. She beamed at her sister, who was lying exhausted in Logan's arms. "He's beautiful." She looked down at the screaming baby. "What are you going to name him?" 

"Can we decide that later?" Jondy took hold of Logan's hand again. "I don't think he was alone in there." She tightened her grip. 

Logan was slightly confused. "You're still having contractions?" He looked over at Max, who actually looked quite shocked. "Twins?" 

At that moment Original Cindy and Bling walked in "Damn, our timing sux." Original Cindy looked up at Bling. "We missed the whole show." She flinched slightly when Jondy shot her an evil look. "I'm kidding." 

Max handed the baby boy to Bling. "Stick around. We're about to get a second show." She turned her focus back to her sister. "Come on, Jondy, we're old pro's at this now. Let's see if your baby boy has a brother or a sister." 

Bling heard Asha in the next room. He tugged on Original Cindy's arm. "Come on, let's go boil water or something." 

Asha's jaw dropped when she saw the baby in Bling's arms. "Whose baby is it?" She took a step forward to look at the tiny baby. 

"Jessica's." Original Cindy went into the bathroom and got a damp cloth and a fresh towel to clean the baby up. "I thought she wasn't due for two weeks yet." 

Asha looked towards the spare room where Bling and Original Cindy had come from. "She's just given birth? Here?" 

Bling nodded. "Baby number two is on its way out now. Good thing Max and Logan seem to know what they're doing." He held the tiny child as Original Cindy cleaned him up. 

Asha felt quite shell shocked. "Who's the father? Where's the father?" She never heard anyone mention him any of the times she had seen Jondy in passing. 

"Devon." Original Cindy made faces at the baby, who started chuckling at her. "Yes, we know he was gay. It was a life and death situation." She added before Asha could ask. 

A few minutes later Max came out carrying another baby. "It's a girl." She handed the baby to Original Cindy. "Can you two hang onto the twins? I'm just going to help Jondy freshen up, she's pretty exhausted." 

"No problem, Boo." Original Cindy smiled down at the baby girl. "Jessica sure does make beautiful babies." She looked up at Max. "How is the new mom doing?" 

Max smiled sadly. "She wishes Devon was here. Apart from that and being really tired, I guess she's alright." She went back to her sister who was making sure that she hadn't broken any of Logan's fingers. 

Asha watched Bling and Original Cindy with the babies for a moment before heading for the kitchen. She kept herself busy making coffee and sandwiches, so that she felt useful. 

The front door burst open and Alec and the doctor burst into the apartment. Alec skidded to a stop when he saw the babies in the arms of Bling and Original Cindy. "She's had the baby already? Hey, where did the extra one come from?" 

Sam walked over to check the babies. "It's possible that she was hiding behind her brother when I did the scan." Sam was satisfied that both children were fit and healthy. "Well, they appear to be fine. Where is the new mother." 

"She's in here, Sam." Logan came out of the guestroom. He flexed his hand and winced. "She sure has a grip on her." He turned and walked back into the room followed by the doctor. Logan had stripped and changed the bed while Max was helping Jondy in the bathroom. 

The new mother was now sitting up in the changed bed with fresh bedclothes on. "So where are my children?" Jondy hadn't got her strength back, but she was still commanding. 

"We'll go and get them while Sam's giving you a check up." Max took hold of Logan's hand and went back into the living room. "Ok, hand over my nephew and niece. Mommy is calling." 

"Can we go and see her?" Original Cindy lay the baby girl in her Aunt's arms. "Or ain't she up for too many visitors?" 

"I think it'll be fine. Just try not to tire her out." Max couldn't believe she had just delivered two babies. "I'll phone Julia and let her know she's got two new grandchildren. Then I'll go and get Joshua." 

Logan looked down at the baby boy Bling had handed him. "You do the phone calls, Max. I'll go and get Joshua once I've taken this little fella into his Mom." 

An hour later, Joshua sat beside Jondy on the bed. "You made them? They're so tiny?" His face was full of wonder. 

Jondy beamed at him. "They didn't feel so small when they were coming out. Would you like to hold one?" 

"No. Might break it." Joshua looked terrified. The babies looked so fragile. 

"Hey, if Joshua gets to hold one baby, then I want to hold the other one." Alec poked his head around the bedroom door, a cheeky grin on his face. 

"Come over here then." Jondy rolled her eyes as Alec sat the other side of her on the bed. "You take Tinga." She moved her arm slightly so that Alec could pick the baby up easily. "Joshua, you take Ben. Just put one hand under his head and the other supporting his body." 

Joshua did as he was told. The baby boy blew bubbles at him and then smiled. "He likes me." Joshua's face broke into a huge smile. 

Max and Logan watched from the doorway. "Tinga and Ben," Max murmured the baby's names to herself. Jondy had chosen the perfect names. She felt Logan's arms go around her waist. "How's your hand?" 

Logan flexed his hand a couple of times. "I've got the most of the feeling back in it now. Not to ruin this happy moment, but how the hell did those Steelheads find us? I'm sort of guessing it was White who offered the money for capturing you and Jondy." 

Max leaned back into Logan's arms. "I figure that they don't know where we live, otherwise they'd be breaking down the door. It must be where we had breakfast. We go there a lot. It wouldn't be too hard to find someone who had seen us there." 

"Then we'll just find somewhere else to have breakfast." Logan kissed her neck. "Or I could just make us breakfast. Of course, that would mean you'd have to stay long enough in the morning to eat it." 

Max smiled up at him. "I could probably manage that." She giggled. "I think Normal actually expects me to be late. You could try and get up earlier, but I know you're not a morning person." 

"I know, but you're worth the effort of getting up early." Logan heard someone moving behind them. Looking over his shoulder he saw Asha. "Hey. How long have you been here?" 

"Somewhere between the first baby being born and the second." Asha felt completely out of place. "Have you got a moment to track someone down for me?" 

Max felt Logan hesitate. "Go ahead. I'm going to start kicking everyone out so that my sister can get some sleep." She reluctantly stepped out of Logan's arms and walked into the guestroom. 

It was close to midnight when Asha finally left with the information she had needed. Logan stretched his tired limbs and walked into the living room. He smiled at the rare sight of Max fast asleep on the sofa. Carefully picking the sleeping beauty up, he carried her towards his room, stopping briefly to check on Jondy and the twins who were also sleeping peacefully. 

Gently laying Max down on the bed, Logan removed her shoes and tucked her into bed as though she was a child. Shedding his own clothes, he crawled into bed beside her. Instantly, she cuddled up to him. It seemed so natural as though they had been together for years. Kissing the top of Max's head, Logan drifted off to sleep, still amazed at the two little miracles that they had brought into the world that day. 

British Eddie held the phone away from his ear. He waited for the yelling down the phone to stop before bringing it back to his ear. "Although we don't have the X5 women, I do have some interesting news for you and it is only a matter of time before we find them again." When Eddie didn't get a response, he continued. "The redhead is pregnant." The phone went dead. Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "Well, Mr. White seemed to take that well." 

_The End_


	12. Cooking Instructions

* * *

Extra chapter, not an actual part of the series.

* * *

**"Cooking Instructions"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Rating:**

PG - some graphical violence

**Category:**

Romance

**Spoilers:**

Sequel to Is There a Doctor in the House. Also a response to Challenge #52.

**Summary:**

Max makes Logan a cake for his birthday.

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of the twins however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

* * *

Logan woke to the unusual aroma of cooking food. Usually he did all of the cooking, mainly because Max didn't know how to. Although she had picked up a few cooking tips since meeting him. He rolled over and found the other side of the bed empty as usual. He put on a bathrobe and went to investigate what was going on in his kitchen.

It had been decided by all parties that Jondy should stay in Seattle for a week after giving birth to the twins. She had been a bit wobbly on her legs for the first day understandably, so she wouldn't even consider trying to drive her children back to San Francisco. Three days later, there she was cooking breakfast using one hand and holding her son with the other.

"Morning." Logan walked over to where Max was sitting holding her niece. "Did the twins wake up early?" He bent down slightly to kiss Max good morning.

"Happy Birthday." Max grabbed the sleeve of Logan's bathrobe and pulled him back down for another kiss. "The twins aren't up early. You're up late." Being Saturday, she hadn't needed to go to work.

Logan glanced at the clock. "Hell, I have a meeting in an hour." He saw the annoyed look on Max's face. "What?" He smiled down at the baby girl who had wrapped her tiny hand around his finger.

"You're working on your birthday?" Max exclaimed. "You couldn't take one day off of saving the world?" Most people used any excuse to get off work, but Max had to have a boyfriend who used any excuse to go to work.

"I'll only be gone a couple of hours." Logan protested. He hadn't thought it would be a problem. "I promise we'll do something fun when I get back." He mumbled against her neck.

Max rolled her eyes. "Fine. It's your birthday. If you want to waste it working, that's up to you." She still managed to look considerably annoyed.

"Why don't you shower and change. I should have breakfast finished by the time you're ready." Jondy smiled over her shoulder at him.

Max waited for the bathroom door to close before grinning at her sister. "Do you think I over did it?"

Jondy giggled. "And the award for best actress goes to Max Guevara." She waved a pair of tongs at Max. "You know he's going to spend the entire meeting trying to think of fun things to do with you to make this up to you."

Max pouted at her sister. "I'll make it up to him. It's lucky Bling gave us the heads up on this meeting he's going to. Do you think I can really pull this off. You know cooking isn't my strong point."

"Don't worry. I'll help you out." Jondy placed a plate of bacon on the table in front of Max. "I've already called Alec. He's going to take the twins and myself to visit Joshua. I checked with Original Cindy and she's happy for us to stay with her for the night."

Max smiled gratefully. "You don't have to move out for the night." She started setting the table one handed.

"It's fine." Jondy carried a plate of eggs over. "It'll give you and Logan some much needed alone time." After setting a plate of toast on the table, she picked up her daughter off of Max and took her children into the guestroom to feed and change them.

Logan sat down at the table and watched Max, while he dished out some food onto his plate. "You're not still mad at me are you?" She looked so damn sexy sitting there sulking, wearing one of his shirts.

Max shrugged her shoulders and played with her food with her fork. "It's your birthday. It's up to you what you want to do." For a moment she was worried that she was doing too good a job of appearing to be pissed off. Logan actually looked as though he was going to cancel his meeting.

"I promise I'll make it up to you." Logan wondered if he should cancel his meeting. It wasn't as though they had spent much time alone lately. Not that he minded Jondy being there. Most of the time she was so quiet that it was easy to forget she was there.

Max looked over at him. "Ok." She took a mouthful of egg. "You'd better eat up or you'll be late." She smiled at him. "My sister didn't slave over a hot stove to make up a birthday breakfast, just so that you could let it go cold."

Jondy stayed out of sight until she heard Logan yell goodbye to her. "So how about we clear the breakfast dishes before you start your assignment." Jondy joked with her sister. "Bling should be here with the ingredients by the time we're finished."

Max frowned at her sister. "You want to clean up the kitchen, so that I can mess it up again." She looked around the kitchen. "I suppose it won't take long." She started gathering up the dirty dishes. By the time Max had rinsed everything and stacked the dishes in the dish washer and started the machine, Bling had arrived with the groceries.

"You really going to attempt to make Logan a birthday cake?" Bling chuckled when Max nodded. "Want me to stick around with the fire extinguisher?" He saw Jondy out of the corner of his eye, trying not to laugh.

"No thank you." Max replied annoyed. "Jondy's going to help me and for your information, the twins are strapped into their car seats incase we have to leave in a hurry." Even the two babies seemed to be laughing at her.

"Ok. Good luck. Let me know how it goes." Bling headed for the door. "Call me if you need anything else. "You're staying somewhere else tonight, right?"

Jondy gave a short, sharp laugh. "As if I would stay here when Max gives Logan his birthday surprise." She looked up at Bling. "I foresee furniture getting broken and not in anger."

"Smart move." He kissed her cheek. "See ya later." Bling waved goodbye to Max and walked out the door closing it behind him.

"Alright. Let's get started." Jondy pulled the cook book off of the shelf that she had found a simple recipe for chocolate cake in. To make it easy for Max, she had asked Bling to pick up all of the ingredients in the recipe plus some candles.

Max was completely out of her element. "Where do I start?" She looked at the contents of the grocery bag she had unpacked.

Jondy put the cookbook in front of Max. "First, why don't you get dressed. Then measure out all of the ingredients as it says in the book and I'll go and pack myself a bag for tonight and then we'll see how you're going."

"Sounds easy enough." Max muttered to herself. Apart from a small accident opening the flour packet, she had all of the ingredients measured out and in separate bowls in no time. She looked over at the twins. "See, Aunty Max can do this."

Jondy walked back into the kitchen glancing at her children laughing at their Aunt. She raised an eyebrow at the flour all over the floor, but on looking over the measured ingredients, everything seemed to be accounted for. "It looks good. Just follow the instructions. I'll put the left over ingredients away. That way there should be nothing left on your bench, once all the measured ingredients have been added together."

"Follow the instructions, huh. You know this isn't so hard." Max was humming to herself as she sifted all of the ingredients. She was having so much fun that she didn't notice Jondy head back into the guest room to pack a bag for the babies.

Jondy set the bags by the door and picked her daughter up, who had grown tired of watching her Aunt's baking attempts and starting crying. Jondy patted her daughter's back and rocked her, as she looked at the mess Logan's kitchen was in. "So tell me, did you actually get any of the ingredients in the bowl?" She burst out giggling. "This cake had better turn out great, cause Logan's going to kill you when he sees this mess." Jondy had a feeling though that Logan might forget about the state of his kitchen, when he looked at Max.

Max's normally dark hair looked almost gray with all of the flour coating it. She had smudges of cocoa down one cheek and smears of cake mixture on her chin and nose. Her clothes were covered in a combination of flour, cocoa and baking powder.

Max grinned. She was actually enjoying herself. "Ok, now what do I do?" She dusted off the cookbook and read the instructions. "It's got two temperatures in the book. Which one do I use?" She held the book up for Jondy, so that her sister didn't have to venture into the mess.

Jondy glanced at the oven and then pointed to the correct temperature in the book. She glanced at her watch while Max poured the mixture into a greased pan and put it in the oven and set the timer. "You'd better hurry. Logan's due back in five minutes."

Alec let himself into the apartment and immediately saw the bags by the door. He knew where Jondy kept the keys to her car, but he stopped short when he saw the state Max was in. A cheeky grin crossed his face. "If only I had a camera. This is a picture perfect moment." His grin widened when Max looked as though she was going to punch him.

"You know where the keys are Alec. Go and load the car." Jondy scolded him. "I'm just going to help Max clean up the kitchen and then I'll be ready to go."

Alec saluted her before going to fetch the keys to Jondy's car and loaded the bags into the car. Logan's car pulled into the car park as Alec was shutting the boot to the car.

"Alec." Logan called out. "What are you doing here?"

"Playing chauffer for Jondy and the twins." Alec walked back over to the lift with Logan. "By the way, Happy Birthday."

"Thanks." Logan frowned. He guessed Jondy had told Alec that it was his birthday. "She wants to take the twins to visit Joshua, huh?"

"Yeah." Alec waited for Logan to walk out of the lift and then followed him. He knew Jondy and Max probably had the kitchen tidied up, but Alec wanted to see the look on Logan's face when he saw Max covered in flour and cocoa. He wasn't disappointed.

Logan's jaw dropped. He had expected to come home and find Max still mad at him for working on his birthday. The powder covered Max before him was a huge surprise. "Sorry, I'm late." He finally managed to stammer out."

The timer on the oven went off shattering the silence. Jondy walked over to where the twins were strapped into their car seats. "I think that's our cue to leave Alec." She handed Alec one of the twins and shoved him towards the door. "Don't forget to take your cake out of the oven, Max." When Alec took a step back inside to make a cheeky retort, Jondy grabbed the lapel of his jacket and dragged him away, pulling the door shut with her foot.

Max opened the oven door and used a towel to lift the freshly baked cake out of the oven. "Wow." She was impressed with herself. The cake actually looked quite good. "I think it worked." She just hoped the cake wouldn't stick to the pan.

Logan looked at the cake and then looked back at Max. "You made me a birthday cake?" He looked as though she had preformed some sort of miracle just for his birthday. He dampened the towel and gently wiped the cake mixture off her face. "Thank you, it looks great." It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for him.

Max looked doubtful. "I wouldn't thank me until you've tasted it." She ran her hand through her hair creating a cloud of dust. "You know baking wasn't exactly one of the things they had us master at Manticore." She took a candle out of the packet that Bling had brought and poked it into the middle of the cake, which was still in it's pan and lit the wick. "Make a wish."

"I have everything I could wish for." Logan whispered against Max's lips.

"Make a wish anyway." Max was thrilled that Logan like the cake. She watched as Logan blew the candle out. "What did you wish for?"

"If I tell you, it won't come true." He pulled her closer and kissed her, not at all concerned that the flour and cocoa on her clothes, was getting all over him. The last thought going through his head, was that this was the best birthday he had ever had.

The last thought going through Max's head was 'maybe I should try cooking more often'.

_The End_


	13. Back to Square One

**"Back To Square One"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The character of the attacker however does belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

When one of White's soldiers disobeys an order, his attack on Max changes more than one person's life. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs somewhere in season 2.

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

Another brown out. How Logan hated them. It left him feeling helpless every time as he was unable to use his computer. The only up side was being in the candlelight with Max. Only Max hadn't arrived tonight. Logan cursed himself for being so wrapped up in his work that he hadn't even called her. No wonder she got upset with him. What was the saying 'All work and no play, makes Logan a dull boy'. If he wasn't careful, he was going to lose the best thing that had ever happened to him. 

Moving over to the window Logan picked up the phone and dialed Max's number, then remembered the brown out had rendered the phone useless as well. He looked out the window onto the streets below. There had been a time when Logan was so afraid of heights that he couldn't bare to go anywhere near the window. 

He saw a couple fighting in the street below his window. It looked as though it was getting pretty rough. On reflex, Logan reached for the phone to call the police. As soon as his hand touched the phone, he realized how useless the action was. Fishing his gun out of the desk drawer, Logan loaded it hoping that he wouldn't have to use it. He glanced out the window in time to see the woman being shoved up against the wall of the building next door. Fearing for the woman's life, Logan raced out of the apartment and headed for the stairs. 

Logan made it down the stairs in record time and out of the building. He didn't even notice how out of breath he was. He raced out of the building, hoping that he wasn't too late. 

Jondy pulled her car into the underground car park of Logan's building. If it weren't for the fact that Sam Carr had insisted that she come in for a check up, she would be at work in San Francisco. She had picked Alec and Joshua up on the way into Seattle so that she could catch up with everyone at once. She had planned to stay just one night. "Ok. Here we are. Everybody out." 

Jondy and Joshua grabbed one of Jondy's twins each out of the car while Alec got Jondy's bags from the boot. When they got to Logan's apartment they found the door open. Alec gestured for the other two to stay put while he checked the apartment. 

He shrugged his shoulders after he had searched the apartment. "No signs of a break in or anything being stolen." He put Jondy's bags in the guest room and shut the front door. 

"Where's Logan?" Joshua inquired and handed Jondy her other child so that she could put them to bed for the night. He was surprised when Jondy came running out the guestroom seconds later. "What's wrong?" 

"Max is being attacked downstairs." Jondy went straight for the window. She climbed out onto the fire escape with Alec and Joshua right behind her. 

"Max gets attacked all the time." Alec couldn't believe that Jondy was climbing down the side of a building in stilettos and a long skirt. "Why are we racing to help her? She can take care of herself." Then he looked down into the street and saw what Jondy must have seen. "Move it, stilts." 

Glaring up at Alec, Jondy leapt off the fire escape just as Logan fired a shot at Max's attacker. Alec landed beside Jondy and Joshua wasn't far behind them. Logan's shot had been spot on but it didn't appear to slow Max's attacker down. 

It wasn't until he turned to face them, that Logan saw that it was Max being attacked. His face turned pale when he saw that her shirt had been ripped and there were scratches across Max's chest. The rage of somebody daring to touch Max boiled up inside him. Raising his arm he fired again. 

When that attacker just kept walking towards Logan, Joshua swiped the attacker's face and knocked him flying. It gave Jondy the lead way to get over to Max. She was in pretty bad shape. From what Jondy could tell after doing a quick check, Max had a sprained ankle, a couple of cracked ribs, scratches on her chest and face and a pretty deep cut on her head, where she had been slammed up against the wall. 

Alec couldn't believe how strong this guy was. He had already thrown Logan aside as though he were light as a feather. Alec couldn't get this guy to release the grip he had on his throat. "A little help here guys," he managed to squeak out. 

"Legs up," Jondy yelled. Alec brought his knees up, as Jondy kicked the attacker in the groin. Alec fell to the ground with a thud as he was dropped. 

Joshua growled as the attacker headed for Jondy and Max. He grabbed the attacker and slammed his face against the wall. Bracing a hand either side of the attacker's face, Joshua gave it a sharp twist. There was a sickening crack before the attacker fell to the ground, revealing an eye cam. 

Jondy removed one of her shoes and smashed it. "White." She went back to Max, who was trembling so much, that to the untrained eye it looked as though she were having a seizure. 

Logan quickly removed his jacket to cover Max's torn clothing. When he tried to put it around her shoulders, she shrank away from him. Trying not to look hurt, Logan handed the jacket to Jondy. "We'd better get Max inside before somebody decides to investigate the gun shots." 

Jondy nodded as she put the jacket around Max's shoulders. "Alec, you and Joshua get back upstairs and check on my children. Logan and I will bring Max up in a moment." She would have to try and calm Max down enough for Logan to get her inside. 

Alec looked down at Max, who was huddled in Jondy's arms. "You sure you don't want some help?" When Jondy gestured with her eyes to Joshua, he realized what she had been thinking. Max's condition, they could explain if anyone came and started asking questions. No amount of excuses could explain Joshua. "Joshua, I'll race you upstairs." 

Jondy waited for Alec and Joshua to head back in the building before she spoke to Max. She spoke as though talking to a child, keeping her voice as soothing as possible. "Max, you're safe now. It's going to be alright. You're going to have to let Logan pick you up." When Max looked up at her, her eyes wide with fright, Jondy stroked her hair out of her sister's face. "I'll be right beside you. I can't carry you in myself, too many questions will be asked." She breathed a sigh of relief when Max reluctantly nodded her consent. 

Logan moved slowly forward and carefully scooped Max into his arms. He tried not to take it personally when he felt Max's body go rigid at his touch. It was hard work climbing the stairs as Max refused to let go of Jondy's hand. Finally they got to the apartment, where they found Alec and Joshua walking around with the crying babies. He carried Max into his room and lay her down on the bed, then left to get the first aid kit for Jondy. 

Alec and Joshua stood in the doorway. Alec gave the screaming baby girl in his arms a quick glance. "I know you're busy, Jondy, but I think they're hungry. If you tell me where their bottles are, Joshua and I can feed them." 

Jondy tucked Max under several blankets. "I am the bottle. Actually they need changing. The nappies are in the multi colored bag you put in the guest room." She could see by Joshua's face that he had no idea what she meant. "Alec go and explain to Joshua the whole milk thing in the living room. I'll be out in a minute." 

Logan walked back in with the first aid kit, a bowl of water and a wash cloth. "Why don't you go and feed your children, Jondy. I'll sit with Max." He realized how frightened Max was, but he didn't want her to be afraid of being alone in a room with him. As long as Max held on to Jondy as a security blanket, that was exactly what would happen. 

"Thanks. I won't be long." Jondy left the room before Max could protest. She hadn't missed the look on Logan's face when Max had flinched at his touch. To his credit, Logan was covering how hurt he was, pretty well. 

Logan sat on the floor beside his bed, knowing that Max would probably try and run if he actually sat on the bed. "Tell me what Jondy and the others were like as children. The others that I've met, I mean." He had to find some way for her to relax around him. 

Max had moved as far as she could to the edge of the bed furthest away from Logan. It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe and she couldn't control the unbelievable terror she felt being alone in the room with Logan. "Um, Jondy hasn't really changed much. She didn't use the English accent as a child. She's always been quiet and overly cautious with people she doesn't know. It takes a lot to get her trust, but she's loyal to fault if you can get that trust. She's actually quite deceiving. She looks so sweet and innocent one minute, but she can look fierce and dangerous in the next." 

Logan smiled thoughtfully. "I'm beginning to notice that." Her shaking voice made him long to put his arms around her and tell her that everything would be alright, but he stayed put. "What about Krit?" 

Max thought back to Manticore for a moment. It seemed so long ago. "Krit always looked up to Zack. He wanted to be just like him. He tried to act tough, but he was really just a scared little boy. He was always the first to stand up for us girls if we were being bullied though." 

Logan noticed her voice was shaking a little less. "Tinga seemed to be sort of the mothering influence, where Zack was the father type. 

Max felt a stab of pain go through her head when she nodded. "Zack would have made a great father if he could have just let go of the Manticore's rules and regulations. He couldn't stop being the perfect solider. I don't know, maybe he has a chance now with his memory loss." 

"Doesn't stop you from missing him though." Logan understood that Max's feelings for Zack were only that of a sister's love for her brother. "What about Zane? What was he like as a kid?" 

Max chewed on her bottom lip. "He was protective of Jondy from day one. He killed a guard for her one day and ended up in solitary confinement for a month. It's amazing he didn't end up like Ben." 

Logan frowned in amazement. Having met Zane, he couldn't begin to imagine what would drive him to kill a guard. "Was he trying to help Jondy escape?" 

"No." Jondy's voice startled both of them. "Zane caught the guard raping me, that's why he killed him." She sat on the bed and started tending to Max's wounds. She was relieved that they had all gotten to Max before he had finished the job. 

Max was shocked by Jondy's revelation. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" She didn't know what she could have done as an eleven-year-old child to help her sister. 

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "There was nothing you could do. Zane risked his own life killing that guard. To this day, I'll never know why Lydecker didn't have Zane killed." 

"Maybe you can ask him when we find him." Logan reach out and put his hand on the redhead's shoulder. Jondy patted his hand. "So what's the damage?" 

Jondy took a deep breath and pushed the nightmare of her childhood to the back of her mind. "Well Max, you're going have to keep off that foot for a few days. There's a few cracked ribs so no watching comedies and although you probably have a wicked headache and I've dressed that cut on your forehead, you don't have a concussion. You're going to be black and blue, but nothing that won't heal eventually." It was the emotional wounds that Jondy was more worried about. 

Joshua came racing into the room. "There's soldiers outside. Alec thinks they're White's men." He held a jacket up for Jondy. "Gotta go now." 

Jondy eased into the jacket and walked over to the window. Sure enough, soldiers were crowding around their fallen team member. "Logan, can you carry Max down to your car?" 

Logan was already wrapping Max up in the blankets. "No problem. Where are we going?" He swung Max into his arms and followed Jondy and Joshua out of the room. 

Alec was waiting for them with Jondy's children and bags. "Looks like they're surrounding the building." He raised an eyebrow at Jondy. "Feel like being distracting?" 

Jondy rolled her eyes. "Not really." She tossed her car keys to Joshua. "Get into my car with the children, wait for my signal then move out. I'll meet you in the next street." She turned to Logan. "Where's your gun?" 

Logan couldn't hide his shocked look. "In my pocket. I thought you hated using guns." He turned slightly so that Jondy could retrieve the weapon. 

"I don't have much of a choice at the moment." Jondy looked at the weapon she now held in her hand. "Get Max back to her apartment. I'll meet you there later." She headed for the window pausing briefly by Alec. "Take care of my kids." 

Alec nodded. "We'll see you in a few minutes." He caught hold of Jondy's arm. "Be careful. No way am I Daddy material." Letting go of Jondy, he handed one car seat with a baby in it to Joshua and grabbed Jondy's bags and the other car seat with a twin in it. "Let's get this show on the road." 

Logan followed Alec and Joshua out the door with Max in his arms. "What the hell is Jondy's signal?" The fact that Jondy was climbing down the outside of the building in an outfit that would looked perfect on a model, would be a distraction enough for any hot blooded male. 

"You'll know it when you see it," Max mumbled into his chest. If it weren't for her being attacked, they wouldn't be running for their lives. Her sister wouldn't be putting herself right in the line of enemy fire. Self-loathing thoughts raced through her mind. 

Logan looked down at Max as he walked into the car park. "Don't go there." When she looked up at him with a puzzled expression on her face he felt the same rage he had, had on the street when he discovered who was being attacked. "Don't start blaming yourself. None of this is your fault." 

Alec fished Logan's car keys out of his jacket pocket for him and unlocked Logan's car so that Logan didn't have to put Max down. "Pull your car in behind Jondy's. I'll keep an eye out for her signal." He helped Joshua put the babies in the back seat of the car and then reached for the keys off of Joshua. It was amusing watching Joshua cramming himself in the back seat between the two babies so that Jondy could jump in the front passenger seat. 

"Will Max be alright?" Joshua asked as they waited near the car park exit for Jondy's signal. Max had looked so tiny and fragile in Logan's arms. 

"I don't know," Alec admitted. "Logan's a good guy though, he'll stand by her no matter what." Alec didn't know if he were in the same situation, that he would be as noble. "Come on, Jondy, get us out of here." 

White stood observing the scene before him. The soldier had orders to kill the girl, not rape her. He had wasted precious time and because of it, she was still alive and free. He looked down at the body with no emotion. This was just another inconvenience. White felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Turning slowly he found himself staring across the street at Jondy. You couldn't have missed her if you tried. 

Her long red hair fell in soft waves down her slim shoulders. She wore a long floral print black skirt with a black singlet top which was covered with a brown leather jacket. Black stilettos made her appear taller. She was a splash of color in the bleak dark night. 

"His orders were to kill her, not attempt to rape her." Her blue eyes demanded an explanation from him, even though she didn't voice it. White had been watching the footage from the eye cam via a computer hooked up to a generator. It was no use lying to Jondy, she knew he was pulling the soldiers strings. 

"Oh well, that makes it alright then doesn't it?" The English accent Jondy used, made her sarcasm come across even stronger. "What's the matter White? Your puppet cut his own strings?" She raised her arm and fired the gun at White. "Boom." 

White hit the ground. He had actually felt the bullet whiz past him. He looked up for a second before something behind him exploded. Of course Jondy had disappeared. Glancing over his shoulder, White saw his car was now a burning heap. "Damn it. She's causing a distraction. They're somewhere near. Find them!" White got to his feet and started bellowing orders. He knew that Jondy, Max, and whoever was helping them was probably long gone. 

Alec floored the gas pedal as soon as he heard the explosion. The sight of White and his men staring at the burning car was too amusing. Alec was still laughing when he stopped the car so that Jondy could climb in. "What is it with you trying to set White alight?" 

Jondy chuckled. "Let's just say I have a burning need to get him out of our lives." She glanced over he shoulder to check on her children as Alec started driving towards Joshua's home. 

Original Cindy lit another candle while cursing the frequent brown outs. This was the third one this week. Her jaw dropped when Logan walked into the apartment carrying a incredibly pale and bruised Max. "What happened? You get hit by a tree again, Boo?" Then she saw the expression on Logan's face. "God, what happened?" 

Logan carried Max through to her room. "Max got attacked by one of White's men." He gently put Max down on her bed. "Jondy says that she has to keep off her ankle." He saw a flash of panic cross Max's face at the mention of her sister. "I'm sure Jondy's fine. She'll probably walk through the door any minute." 

Max relaxed a little. "She probably dropped Joshua and Alec off first." She felt better now that she was home in her own bed away from where she had been attacked. She had never felt this exhausted before. 

"We'll leave you to get some sleep." Logan realized as he spoke that Max had already nodded off. He bent down and kissed her forehead before leaving the room. He sat down on the sofa and put his head in his hands. 

"So what aren't you telling me?" Original Cindy stood in front of him, arms crossed. "Sister girl is seriously freaked out in there. There's more to this attack than you're telling me. Spill." 

Logan raised his head to look at her. "He tried to rape her. Jondy turned up with Alec and Joshua just after I got to her. It took all of us to bring this guy down. A few more minutes and we would have been too late." He shuddered at the thought. "I didn't even know it was Max until after I had fired a shot at her attacker. Jondy created some sort of distraction that involved my gun and blowing up White's car to get us all out of my apartment building." 

Original Cindy sat down beside him. "What does this White guy have against Max being happy?" She started to wonder what was keeping Jondy away so long as well. "You saw Jondy get away right?" 

Logan shook his head. "She told Alec to take Joshua and the children and she'd meet them in the next street down. We have no way of contacting Alec to make sure he got to her." 

All fears for Jondy's safety were pushed aside when she strolled inside juggling her children and her bags. "Sorry I took so long." She put the two car seats with the twins in them on the coffee table and dropped her bags on the floor. "The brown out's made it harder to drive on the streets with no damn traffic lights." She hugged Original Cindy before crouching down in front of Logan. "How's Max doing?" 

"She's sleeping." Logan replied. Max rarely slept, this wasn't a good sign. "She flinches every time I touch her. We're right back to square one. What the hell was going through White's warped mind?" Logan had never felt so uncontrollably angry before in his life. 

Jondy swept her hair over her shoulder with one hand. "He wanted Max dead. The soldier disobeyed an order. White actually had the nerve to try and explain everything." She couldn't have been more disgusted if she had tried. The man made her skin crawl. 

"I don't mean to be insensitive." Logan had to ask though. There was no one else he could turn to. "What's Max going through? I don't expect you to relive your own attack, but I can't help her if I don't know what's going on," he pleaded. 

"You really don't want to hear this." Jondy could see by Logan's face that he needed to know. "Fine." She took a deep breath. "You can't stand people touching you, especially men. You feel dirty and it's not something that you can just wash away no matter how hard you scrub your skin. Sleeping is near impossible cause the attack just keeps playing over and over, every time you close your eyes. No matter where you are or whether it's day or night, you see him everywhere, haunting you." Jondy shook her head to push the still vivid memory away. 

"How the hell did you get through it?" Logan could see how shocked Original Cindy was by Jondy's speech. "I don't see Manticore arranging for you to see a therapist." 

Jondy shrugged. "Some people live their lives in fear. I had a supportive family, most of whom had no idea what had happened. Zane refused to let me hide. We couldn't let Manticore win. Zane managed to convince me not to live in fear. To this day, I'll never know how he did it." 

Max started screaming in her sleep from the next room. When they raced into the room, they found her wrestling with an invisible attacker. Suddenly she sat up. The movement sent a stabbing pain through her cracked ribs. She screamed out again, this time in pain. 

Logan went to her without a second thought. "You're safe. Everything's going to be alright." He didn't believe a word that he was saying, but he needed for her to believe it. 

For a moment she fought him when he held her. Logan kept his arms around her until she stopped struggling. He was scared to hold her too tight incase he hurt her. He realized that Max was now clinging to him as though he were her lifeline. 

Original Cindy turned when she felt Jondy tug at her arm. She followed her friend out of the room. "This must be pretty hellish for you." She kept herself busy trying to find something cold to drink, while Jondy checked on her children. "How old were you when it happened to you?" 

"Ten, maybe eleven." Jondy swayed back and forth, rocking her son to sleep. "Max needs time." She glanced towards Max's room. "They need time. You've seen them together more than I have. Are they going to make it?" 

Original Cindy shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, Boo. They've had a lot of hurdles thrown in their way. I'm just not sure that this hurdle isn't too high for them to jump." 

Logan rocked Max like a child. If it was the last thing he did, he would get White back for what had been done to Max. That promise he made for both of them. 

White replayed the last minute of the eye cam footage now that the brown out was over. In disobeying his orders, that soldier had unleashed a whole new set of problems. He paused the film. A set of bright blue eyes glared at him from the screen. 

From his hiding place, Alec watched White with great interest. So that was what White's weak spot was. Quietly creeping back out into the night, Alec headed home. There had to be another way. 

_The End_


	14. One Step at a Time

**"One Step At A Time"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of the soldiers however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

Logan goes after White for the attack on Max. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs somewhere in season 2.

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

White rewound the tape and played it again. They worked as a team, the transgenics. Any attack on one of them would incur the wrath of all of them. He had, had his men keep a post of the two buildings either side of where the X5 had been attacked. After a month of no sighting, he figured the transgenics had moved on. Reluctantly he had pulled the troops out of the area. Cursing himself, White rewound the tape again. 

Zane glanced over at Alec, who just shrugged and retreated back outside. Once they were a safe distance away from White, only then did either man speak. 

"Distraction or not, there's no way I'm having Jondy anywhere near that obsessive lunatic." Zane was fuming. "There are fourteen children relying on her. What's his deal anyway? I though Max said something about him being married. What woman in her right mind would marry that animal?" When it came to his sisters, especially Jondy, Zane would not even think about putting any of them in deliberate danger. 

"Hey, I have been trying to find another way," Alec protested. "I've gotten sort of fond of your sisters pushing me around." He grinned good-naturedly. "God, I never seen anyone look so beautiful when they lose their tempers. You can practically see the flames flicker in their eyes." 

Zane chuckled. He knew exactly what Alec meant. "Don't let the flickering flames fool you. They are complex women, who keep everything important to them closely guarded. Especially their family." 

Alec eyed up the other man. "Should I consider myself included in the category of family?" He could never be sure. 

Zane laughed out loud. "Well, Jondy certainly thinks there's hope for you yet." He nudged Alec. "Come on, I want to check on Max before I crash for the night." 

Max walked around her bedroom in her apartment. She was starting to feel like a cage animal. The only time she had left it in the last month to go to work. She couldn't seem to shake the fear of going out alone after dark. 

Jondy had, had to return to San Francisco a couple of days after Max had been attacked, but she kept daily contact by phone. Logan's apartment building was still being watched, so he had taken to sleeping on her sofa. Zane had turned up at the beginning of the week, yet seemed to be up to date on what had happened. Max didn't have to ask whom it was who had told him. Jondy and Zane kept in constant contact. 

Absentmindedly, Max wandered lightly into the living room where Logan lay fast asleep on the sofa. She watched him for a moment. In some ways the attack on her had been just as invasive on him as it had been on her. Suddenly feeling the need to be closer to him, Max inched closer and sat on the coffee table. Despite the desperate need to feel his arms around her, she had no wish to wake him from his peaceful sleep. 

As if he sensed that she were there, Logan stirred and opened his eyes to look up at her, his blue eyes sparkling at the sight of his dark angel watching him. "You alright?" For a moment he thought that he was still dreaming. Then she shook her head. "Can't sleep?" It wasn't unusual for Max not to sleep. Again his question was met with a shake of her head. Shuffling back a little on the sofa and reached out his hand to her. 

It was Max's choice. She knew Logan would understand if she chose to stay put. She also knew that he would never hurt her. She took hold of his long fingered hand and let him gently pull her onto the sofa. She cuddled into him instinctively knowing that Logan would realize she wasn't ready for anything more than to be held. Not yet. 

Logan wrapped his arms around Max and rested his head on hers. He didn't want to hold her too tight in case he frightened her away. This was the closest they had been since she had been attacked and he wasn't going to ruin it by pushing her further than she was ready to go. The pattern of her breathing changed indicating that she had fallen asleep. Kissing the top of her head, Logan drifted back to sleep. 

Zane and Alec quietly entered the apartment not wishing to wake Logan or Original Cindy. Smiles crept onto their faces as they saw the couple cuddled up on the sofa. They left the apartment as quietly as they arrived. 

Max woke the next morning to find her head cushioned against Logan's strong chest. Stretching her limbs out careful not to wake him, she found they had an audience. Original Cindy, Alec and Zane were grinning down at them. "What are you all so happy about?" She felt Logan stirring. 

Logan saw the annoyed look on Max's face and was confused. Following her look, he saw the trio grinning from ear to ear. "What are you all doing up at this hour?" He was actually surprised to find Max still in his arms. 

Zane stifled a chuckle from escaping him at the sight of his little sister blushing. "Well I just thought that I would check up on my baby sister. Seems that I was overly concerned as you look as though you're doing just fine." 

Max wasn't in a great hurry to move. She felt safe, a feeling that had been taken away from her a month ago. "How long have you been checking up on me?" 

Alec sat down on the coffee table. "Long enough. We've found White's weak spot but we can't use it. Can't think of anything else though." 

"Why can't we use it?" Logan wanted to get back at White so badly. Unconsciously he pulled Max closer. 

Max knew why. She saw the way men looked at her sister. It made her skin crawl, she could only imagine how Jondy felt. "We can't use it because it's Jondy. We'll find another way." 

Logan felt as though they were constantly running up against a brick wall. He kissed Max's forehead. "Yeah, we'll find another way." He looked up at Zane and Alec. "Where did you find White?" 

"He's set up shop in sector six. Don't know how long he'll stay though." Alec helped himself to coffee. "The good news is he's pulled his men away from your apartment building." 

Logan would be happy to be back in his own bed. Max's sofa wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep. "He's pulled all of his men? Are you sure?" The last thing he wanted to do is walk into a trap that could end up leading White straight to Max. 

Zane nodded. "Might pay to go in the back way just to be safe. I don't want to have to bring Jondy to Seattle in a bid to get White to let you go because we underestimated him. You'd think his wife would keep him too occupied to obsess over Jondy." 

Max was still nestled comfortably in Logan's arms. "He tried to kill her. That history you and Logan dug up on those bones seems to be connected to White's heritage. It looks as though he's responsible for Lydecker's disappearance. No big surprise there." 

Zane sat on the arm of the sofa and glanced down at his sister. "Like I've said before, until I see Lydecker's deceased body with my own two eyes, I'll consider him still alive and walking around." He couldn't sum any pity up for the man who had used them as his own personal toy soldiers. 

Logan's brain was ticking over at a million miles. A plan for getting back at White was forming, eating away at him. He and Max would find a way to get past her fear, but he couldn't get past what White had taken from them. "I suppose I'd better get back to my place and make sure that White didn't search it." 

Max was reluctant to let Logan go back to his apartment alone. She insisted that Zane and Alec go with him. Once they had left, the apartment felt so empty to her. She couldn't blame Logan wanting to go home. The sofa wasn't exactly comfortable to sleep on. It couldn't be easy for him having her clinging to him all of the time. If Logan had wanted a clingy girlfriend, there were plenty of social butterfly types that were just dying for him to look their way. It had become impossible lately for Max to figure out what Logan still saw in her. 

Original Cindy stood watching her friend. She could see the flood of emotions crossing her friend's face. "I think you'd better phone sister girl." Max looked shocked as though Cindy had invaded her thoughts. "I don't know what's going through that head of yours, Boo, but I'm willing to bet Jondy does." She picked up the cordless phone and tossed it to Max. "Call her. You can't go on like this, Max, you'll drive yourself insane." Turning, she walked out of the room. 

Max quickly dialed the phone number before she could convince herself that she was just wasting her sister's time. "Hi Jondy. You got a minute?" She sat down on the sofa. This could take a while. 

"Of course." Jondy's husky accented voice rang down the line. "What's going on?" Judging by the reluctance she could hear in Max's voice, she easily guessed Original Cindy had told her to phone. "You're not still blaming yourself for everything are you?" 

Max was relieved that her sister couldn't see the blush that crossed her face. "Logan got to go back to his apartment today. I made Alec and Zane go with him just incase. Zane's pretty sure that White's pulled all of his men out though. I think he's relieved to get out of here." 

Jondy knew where this was going. "I can't blame him for wanting to sleep in his own bed. It's probably killing him to be away from you though." 

Max curled up on the sofa. "I'm not so sure of that. What would he want with a clingy transgenic female who's afraid of the dark and flinches every time he touches her." Max had never felt so worthless and miserable in her life. 

"You stop right there," Jondy scolded her. "Logan loves you. That didn't stop when you were attacked. You will get through this. You won't always be afraid of the dark. If you think the only reason Logan was ever interested in you was for the sex, you need your head checked. When Manticore gave you that damn virus he stood by you, despite the fact that just brushing up against you accidentally could have killed him. Guys like him don't grow on trees." 

Max glanced out of the window into the night sky. She saw Zane and Alec's reflections in the window as they walked into the apartment. "Logan's building must be safe. Alec and Zane have just come back." 

"Can you let me talk to Zane a minute?" Jondy noticed that there was no mention of Logan being there with them. She waited until she heard her brother's voice on the line before voicing her concern. "Hey Big Brother. Logan doesn't happen to know where to find White does he?" 

Zane glanced over at Alec as his sister spoke to him. He could tell by the tone of her voice what she was thinking. "Yeah. You don't think he'd do something stupid like going after White by himself do you?" As soon as he voiced the question, Alec got out his cell phone and dialed Logan's number. 

"You killed a guard for me, Zane." Jondy reminded him. "What would you have done if you had been in love with me?" 

"Oh God," Zane muttered. Alec was shaking his head. Logan wasn't picking up his phone. "Gotta go, Sis. I'll call you later at work." He hung up the phone and raced out the door with Alec right behind him. 

Original Cindy stared at the door as it slammed shut behind the two men that raced past her. "Where are they going?" She turned and found Max standing shell shocked in the middle of their living room. "Boo? What the hell is going on?" 

Max seemed to snap back to reality suddenly. "I think Logan's gone after White." She grabbed her jacket and raced out the door, pushing her fears aside. Zane and Alec would head for Logan's apartment first to make sure he wasn't just ignoring the ringing phone. 

White watched the tape again. Checking for some sign of where the transgenics had appeared from. Thumping his desk, he realized how useless it was. The eye cam had been solely focused on Max until after the others had arrived. "Idiot!" he yelled at the screen. Seconds later a gunshot fired and the screen shattered, spraying glass over him. Ducking under his desk, White tried to spot where the shot had come from. A second shot landed just in front of his hand. 

"How does it feel to be violated." The voice that echoed through the warehouse was slightly muffled as if it was disguised somehow. "You didn't think that your pathetic excuse to Jondy was going to stop any of us from extracting revenge did you?" Another shot was fired from a different direction. All of the shots were coming dangerously close to White but not quite hitting him. 

White rolled his eyes. "You haven't got the guts to kill me." he yelled out at the sniper. "I doubt you even know how to." Another shot forced him back further under the desk. "What? You're trying to give me a taste of what the transgenic freak is feeling? Who cares? I'll get to her one way or another." As he reached for the gun he had strapped to his ankle, a shot hit him and went right through his hand. 

"I don't think so." Logan kept hidden, but changed his position frequently so that it would appear as though he wasn't alone. The rage that had been boiling up inside of him, was spurring him on like a possessed machine. He was acting purely on adrenaline. 

White wasn't that easily fooled though. When a couple of his men ran in to see where the gunfire was coming from, he yelled out orders. "I don't know who the hell it is, but I want it dead. This time follow orders." He didn't want another mess to clean up. Pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket, he wrapped his hand up. 

The soldiers had only taken a couple of steps when Max swung down from the roof knocking them flying. She somersaulted off of the rope she had used and landed on her feet. "I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me," she sneered at White. When he reached for his gun again, she kicked his injured hand. Snatching up the gun, she threw it over to where she knew Logan was. "My sister would never lower herself to be even the lightest bit interested in you." She could see she had hit a nerve with her comment. 

White glared up at her. "You'll never get out of here alive. You only have one person as back up, I have many." He rethought what he had said when Max smiled down at him, the smile never touching her eyes. 

As his men charged towards her, multiple gunfire exploded at them giving Max a clear path out. White lunged at Max growling. But Max saw him coming and leapt out of the way as Zane swung down and caught her swinging her up into the rafters. "Let's get out of here." He pulled himself up to stand beside his sister. 

Suddenly they felt the extra weight on the beam they were walking across. Looking down they saw that White was hanging from the beam, having jumped up after them. "Freak," Zane and Max said together, as they both kicked out at White knocking him from the beam. 

Outside the warehouse, Max stopped long enough to make sure Logan had gotten out safely before jumping onto her motorcycle with her brother behind her. "Great timing as always Big Brother." 

Zane chuckled behind her. "Yeah, well I didn't want to explain to a certain redheaded sister that not only did we let Logan know where to find White, we also got to him too late. It should have been obvious what was going through Logan's mind. It didn't take Jondy two seconds to work it out and she's in San Francisco." He, of all people should have known the rage Logan was feeling. 

They got back to Logan's to find him pacing, while Alec chatted to someone on his cell phone. Max strolled straight up to Logan and shoved him, almost knocking him over. "What the hell were you thinking? You could have been killed." She shoved him again. "You think playing target practice with White changes anything? You think I'm impressed with this macho attempt to defend my honor? It means nothing if you're dead." When she went to shove Logan a third time, he caught her hand. 

The rage was gone. He had vented all of the pent up anger tonight. Logan knew that they were both lucky to be alive. He pulled her slowly towards him. "Are you alright? You didn't get hit by any stray bullets?" His eyes searched her face for any scratches or bruises. Apart from being highly pissed off, Max appeared to be fine. 

Before Max could reply, Alec burst out laughing. "Yeah. Max got all brave and went racing out into the dark to save Logan's butt. Now that she's saved it, she wants to kick it." Alec saw that he was being watched by the others. "What? Jondy asked. Nobody said it was a big secret." 

Logan snatched the phone off of Alec, not letting go of Max's hand. "Jondy? Yeah, we're all fine. I know. I shouldn't have kept it all bottled in." He felt like a schoolboy being told off by the teacher. "Oh come on, Jondy. What would you have done differently?" Obviously Zane killing a Manticore guard, when he was a child, was mentioned as Logan turned pale and looked over at Zane. "You've got a point. Fine. I will phone if I need someone to talk to. Yes, I promise." He handed Max the phone. "Your turn." He put his arm around her shoulders. Now that he had let got of all of his rage, he felt exhausted and realized tonight was not the smartest thing he had done. 

Max spoke to her sister for a couple of minutes before handing the phone onto Zane. She looked up at Logan. "Don't ever scare me like that again." She released a pent up breath. She hadn't thought twice about going out into the dark tonight. She had only been thinking about getting to Logan. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted White to get a taste of his own medicine." Logan gently pulled her into his arms. "I got so angry that I couldn't stop what happened to you by myself. We've been through so much and all I could see when I looked at you, were the cuts and bruises that I had been powerless to stop." 

"And now?" Max had been so consumed with her fears that she had totally overlooked what was going on with Logan. "What do you see now?" They needed to get past this to be able to get on with their lives and she couldn't do that without him. 

Logan smiled down at her. "Human perfection." He bent down to kiss her, waiting for her to stop him at any moment. 

Max grinned up at him. "I can live with that." She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back. She pulled back slightly. "Jondy reckons we'll just have to take everything one step at a time." 

"Sounds like a good plan." Zane handed Alec back his cell phone. "Max, you want me to follow you home?" It had been a long night and he was planning to head back to LA tomorrow. He had someone looking after his dog and he had promised to be back by the end of the week. 

"I'm going to stay here tonight. You know, make sure Logan doesn't try to take the bad guys on by himself." Max joked as she hugged her brother good bye. "Have a safe trip home tomorrow." 

Zane kissed his sister's cheek. "I will. Take care of each other. If you need any help, I'm only a phone call away." He shook Logan's hand. "Come on, Alec." He slapped the other man on the back. 

Alec stood and stretched his arms out to Max, but only got an unimpressed look back. "No hug? You know, I always get a hug from Jondy," he teased. 

"Jondy thinks there's hope for you," Max shot back as Zane hauled Alec out by his jacket collar. "I don't know if Jondy's right about that one," she muttered to herself. 

Logan rested his chin on top of her head. "She's never been wrong yet." He stifled a yawn. "I think I'll turn in. Revenge tends to wear you out." He kissed her good night and went to his room. A few minutes after he had crawled into bed, Max walked in and silently crept into the bed. Cuddling up to him, they both fell asleep exhausted. 

_The End_


	15. Better the Devil you Know

**"Better The Devil You Know"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Emily Cale, Peter the Butler, Private Merchants and Captain Thomas however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

Max must try to find Lydecker with the help of Krit and Syl, and be back in time for Logan's Grandmother's birthday party.

**Timeframe:**

Occurs after "Proof Of Purchase".

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

The river sparkled under the light of the full moon. A hand dipped into the cold water, struggling against the deep cuts imbedded in it to scoop up a handful of water. The owner of the hand cursed quietly, before leaning forward slightly to sip the water out of his hand. The sound of an oncoming car made the thirsty man look up from the river, revealing his cut and bruised face. Moving quickly despite his injuries, Donald Lydecker disappeared back into the woods. 

The car pulled to a stop and for a moment, it appeared as if the driver had stopped just to check his map. The front driver and passenger doors opened and the occupants stepped out. The headlights of the car kept their identities hidden. Smaller lights indicated that they were searching for something with torches. The torch lights flickered back and forth. Murmured voices shattered the deafening quiet. 

Lydecker watched with great curiosity. Although the investigating intruders were being quite thorough, their footsteps could not be heard. They, whomever they were, were looking for him; Lydecker could feel it. He made no movement incase he gave away his position. Who would still be looking for him? 

"Found something," Krit mumbled into the coms he was wearing. "There's a fresh footprint in the riverbed. Can't be more than ten minutes old." The torches were only a precaution incase another car past by. It would look suspicious if they were found searching in the dark without any lighting assistance. "It's got to be Lydecker." 

Syl looked around her. "He has to be hiding in the woods. I seriously doubt he'll be able to last much longer out here. Considering the condition you said his SUV was in, he's got to have extensive injuries." Syl also spoke quietly into her set of coms. 

"If he's seen the car, he probably thinks White's sent a search team out looking for him," Logan suggested from his apartment. "You guys have pretty much confirmed what Zane suspected. Better head back in. Max said she'd meet up with you at Crash." 

"Got it." Krit glanced around him one more time before heading back to the car. "Tell me again why we're looking for that rat, cause I'm pretty sure it's not out of the goodness of our hearts." 

Syl giggled. "Another Manticore mistake, leaving us with beating, feeling hearts. You'd think they would have learned from their mistakes. When you play cat and mouse, the cat always wins." She climbed into the car beside her brother. 

"Lydecker has got knowledge of information that White wants him killed for." Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I just figure we could use that information to help people instead of to destroy them. Your sister thinks I'm trying to save the world again." He smiled at the thought of Max lecturing him about never having any fun. 

Krit grinned at Syl as he started the car. "Whatever. Just make sure you buy us a beer each when we get to Crash and we'll call it even." 

Lydecker breathed a sigh of relief when the car pulled away and headed back the way it had come. He knew they'd be back, but for the moment he was safe. If anyone found him, it would be his kids. The X5s would instinctively know he was alive. If there was no body, the target was still alive. It was one of the lessons he had taught them. Never leave anything to chance. He wondered if Logan had found a cure for the virus Manticore had given Max. He smiled to himself. He had never known anyone but himself to show such grim determination where the X5s were concerned. Of course they wanted different purposes for the X5s, but the determination was the same. Unfortunately, it was unlikely that any of the X5s knew that he was missing and looking back he hadn't really given them any reason to want to come looking for him, even if they did know. 

In the back room of Crash, Max sat facing the door. He's not going to show, she thought bitterly to herself. He's probably stuck in front of that damn computer again. She was just about to give up on Logan showing, when he strolled through the door. 

Syl nudged her sister. "You can stop sulking and staring at the door now." She hadn't had to guess hard to know why Max was in such a sullen mood. "Can we have fun now." 

Max let her sister tease. It was great to have Krit and Syl in Seattle for the week, even if she did have to work most of it. "You're late." She couldn't resist scolding Logan as he bent down to kiss her. 

Logan rolled his eyes. "Hello to you, too." He settled into the chair beside Max. "Phone wouldn't stop ringing and as much as I would have liked to leave the machine to pick all the calls up, I don't think my Grandmother would have been amused. She hates talking to machines." He kissed Max quickly before she could tell him off again. 

"Your Grandmother is still alive?" Max pictured a frail old lady and could sort of understand her impatience with an answering machine. "How old is she?" She was suddenly interested as to why Logan's Grandmother would be calling him. 

"Ninety five. She called to tell me that the family are throwing her a birthday party tomorrow night." Logan chuckled as he remembered his Grandmother complaining about his family invading her home. "She wants me there for support. She said the others make her feel old." 

Max smiled at Logan's obvious enthusiasm in his Grandmother's antics. "She sounds pretty cool. I take it, she managed to hang onto her assets when Cale Enterprises went under." 

Logan nodded. "She invested in different companies. She never like the way Uncle Jonas did business, so she refused to have anything to do with the company. It's going to be another one of those formal things. Want to go?" He had mentioned Max to his Grandmother and she was eager to meet the young woman that Logan talked about so much. 

Max shrugged. "I don't know if I have anything to wear. I can't exactly wear the same dress I wore to your cousin's wedding. The last thing you need from your family is them whispering behind your back, that your date only owns one dress." 

Logan knew Max was right about his family, but he remembered how fantastic she looked in that dress. "They'd just be jealous cause you make them look like the plain shallow people they are. It doesn't matter what you wear, just come with me." 

Max considered what she had in her closet. With Original Cindy and Syl's help, there could be one or two outfits they could tweak to look formal and expensive. "Alright. Your Grandmother sounds fun." 

Krit sat down beside his sister. "Feeling like a spot of nature exploring tomorrow. Syl and I were at this pretty little spot just outside of Amelin," he joked with his sister. 

Syl sat the other side of her brother. "Maybe we'll see the almost extinct species of rat scurrying around in the woods. You know the one. The Lydecker rat." 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, why not. I've got the day free, but I've got to be back in time for a ninety something birthday party." She giggled at the surprised looks on her sibling's faces. "You'd be surprised what I get invited to these days." 

By the time Max and Logan got back to his apartment, Max was beginning to get nervous about meeting Logan's Grandmother. They seemed to be close. "You know, I'll probably still be searching the woods for Lydecker until really late tomorrow. But say hello to your Grandmother for me." Max headed towards the bedroom. 

Logan took a deep breath. "You have nothing to be nervous about. My Grandmother will love you. With Krit's and Syl's help you should be finished in plenty of time." He put his arms around her waist. "Are you alright? It's not like you to get nervous about meeting my family. Is it because this time it's a family member that I actually like?" 

Max tilted her head up defiantly. "Maybe. Maybe I just don't have anything to wear. You know, I might like to spend some quality time with my brother and sister that doesn't involve anything to do with Manticore." When she looked into Logan's eyes, she could see that he wasn't buying her carefully thought out protest. He knew her too well. "Fine. I'll be back in time to dazzle your Grandmother." 

Logan kissed her neck. "Thank you. It's not going to matter what you wear, my Grandmother just wants to meet you. She's never based an opinion on clothing before and I seriously doubt she's going to start now." He continued into his bedroom. "I think I'll turn in for the night. I have a feeling you and your family will want to make an early start. I'm guessing Krit and Syl are staying with Original Cindy." 

"Yeah." Max followed him, an amused look on her face. "So that's it? You win tonight's debate and now you're going to sleep?" Logan had been incredibly patient with her since she had been attacked. Even though she had stayed over on numerous occasions, he had never pushed her. 

Logan sat down on his bed and pulled his shoes and socks off. "Well, unlike you, I actually need some sleep." He was seriously considering a cold shower as well. "I could probably manage a game of chess if you like." 

Max shook her head and crawled across the bed towards a surprised Logan. "I had another game in mind." She tossed her boots and socks on the floor. "It'll save you having another cold shower," she teased as she pulled his shirt over his head. 

"Are you sure?" Logan struggled against a natural instinct. "It's alright if you're not ready." 

Max yanked her own shirt off. "Positive." 

Krit and Syl let themselves into Logan's apartment the next morning, fully expecting to find Logan and Max up and in the kitchen eating breakfast. They looked at each other, wondering for a moment if White had got hold of them. Thinking it would probably be a good idea to check the apartment to be sure, they started with the kitchen and the bathroom. Syl placed her hand on top of Logan's computer; obviously he hadn't even switched it on that morning as it felt cold. 

Krit listened at the bedroom door for a moment, smiling he knocked on it. "Rise and shine you two. We want breakfast before we go looking for our Manticore Jedi Master." 

Syl giggled as she headed back into the kitchen with Krit following her. "From what Jondy told us over the phone, the last place I would have expected those two to be is asleep in the same bed." 

Krit switched the coffee machine on. "They weren't asleep." He chuckled. "I guess Max got over another fear that attack left her with." You couldn't keep Max down and out for long. A lot of things had changed since the twelve of them had escaped from Manticore, but she hadn't. He wondered how the others were doing. 

Syl could read her brother like a book. "I think about the others all the time as well. I know Zack kept their positions to himself to keep them safe, but in doing that he made it impossible for them to reach us if they need help." 

"Zack knew what he was doing," Krit snapped, then gave his sister an apologetic look. "First we lost Brin to Manticore, then they took away Zack's memory of us, so we lost him, too. If what Zane says about White's obsession with Jondy is right, we risk loosing Jondy every time she sets foot in Seattle. I guess I'm a little on edge." 

"I know." Syl squeezed her brother's hand. "We'll all hook up. It's just a matter of time. We're like homing devices to each other. Think of Jondy as our little red homing beacon," she teased. 

"Morning." Max strolled into the kitchen and poured coffee for the four of them while Logan started breakfast. "Where do we start looking for Lydecker?" 

"We found a print by the river." Krit sipped his coffee. "Figured if it's Lydecker, he's hiding in the woods. If he saw us snooping last night, he might be on the move." 

Logan dished food onto four plates and placed a plate in front of each of the X5's. "That shouldn't be a problem for you three. Even if he is moving, you guys move faster than he can. There's a possibility he's badly injured as well, which would slow him down even more." 

Syl shrugged. "I can probably track him. What if he's injured beyond our medical expertise? I'm guessing booking him into a hospital would attract the same sort of attention that one of us would." 

"We'll take a cell phone with us." Max finished her breakfast. "If Lydecker is critical then we can patch through to Jondy and get her to talk us through the medical procedure." 

Krit stood and pulled his jacket on. "Better get kitted up and get going." He smirked at his sister. "What time do we have to get Maxie back to meet the Royal Family?" He chuckled when Max hit him around the back of the head. 

Logan stifled a smile. "Dinner is at eight. My Grandmother will understand if we're late." He followed them to the door. "Keep in touch over the coms and be careful." 

Max stopped at the door. "We won't be late, I may be late. If I'm not back in time, go without me and I'll meet you there." She caught the suspicious look on his face. "I promise, I'll be there." She stood on tiptoes to give him a quick kiss goodbye before following the other two out the door. 

Just outside of Amelin the three X5's hid the van they had borrowed and moved through the woods. It didn't take Syl long to pick up a set of tracks, but for all they knew, they could be tracking a complete stranger. Syl stopped them when she found scraps of material every few meters. "This has got to be Lydecker. He's leading us into a trap." 

"What do you mean?" Krit frowned. "If he were running, he could easily have torn his clothes on the branches." It wasn't as if they had another set of tracks to follow. 

Max could see her sister's point, though. "It's too easy. Lydecker would cover his tracks if he didn't want to be found. Since he doesn't know who's looking for him, then the only reason he'd want to be found is if he were setting a trap." 

Krit understood. "So we tread carefully and keep an eye out for anything stranger than the usual weird stuff that we usually stumble across." He led the way cautiously. 

Max and Syl exchanged an amused look. In the absence of Zack, Krit had assumed the responsibility of Leader. Syl reached out to stop Krit. With their feline eyesight it was simple to pick out movement without any trouble. She didn't want whoever was trying to watch them to know they had been sighted. 

"Krit. The ground. Somebody's been messing with the twigs and leaves. It's too neat and positioned." Syl reached out and broke a leafy branch off a nearby tree and brushed it across the ground in front of them. 

They all jumped back when a rope, which looked as though it was made from a torn shirt sprang up into the air. Activated by the moving rope, a nearby bush flew towards them. Thinking quickly, they all threw themselves to the ground. 

"You know." Krit was practically growling. "This is really starting to influence my decision about finding that rat. How about we head back?" He dragged his shirtsleeve across his face to remove the dirt and leaves. 

Max pulled a twig out of her hair. "We've come this far, might as well finish what we started. Besides, Lydecker owes us and I intend to collect. He's got information and let's face it, when stuck with a choice of White or Lydecker, I say better the devil you know." 

Syl stood and shook the dust out of her long blond hair. "Well, we got dirty. I'd like to think there's a point to it." She dusted herself off. "Let's go. The tracks head north." 

Max saw movement in the woods ahead. "There he goes. Either that or there's a really big bird out here with us." 

Krit signaled for them to split up. They knew they could move faster than the person they were tracking, but rushing at him head on, left them open to another trap. By splitting up, they were each other's back up. They also had the added advantage of being able to move without being heard, while they could hear every movement their prey was making. 

Lydecker couldn't get a good view of who was following him. Could be X7s, could even be White's people. The only thing he was sure of, was they were fast and there was more than one. He was pretty sure it was the same people who had been there the night before. They obviously knew something about him, as they hadn't fallen for the trap he had set. 

Hope made him wonder if his kids had come looking for him. Due to his present situation it seemed more likely that White had sent his people out to make sure the thorn in his side had been permanently removed. He stopped running when he saw who was standing in front of him. 

Max stood arms crossed across her chest looking highly unamused by the chase. "Can we hurry this along? I have a dinner date. Actually it's a Grandmother's birthday party so time may be of the utmost importance." 

"Max?" Lydecker couldn't believe she had actually come looking for him. Turning to his left he found Syl watching him, her blue eyes staring with a steel cold gaze. "Syl?" He could sense another presence, a skill he had acquired over the years. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the third X5. "Krit? I should have realized it was you kids." 

Krit looked disgusted at the man before him. "It's not just us. I spotted some troops, I think they're Manticore, about a mile back." 

Max plugged in her set of coms. "Hey, Logan. We've found Lydecker but we have some gate crashers. Is there any sort of alarm of something you can activate seeing as we don't have Jondy here to be distracting?" 

Logan was relieved just to hear Max's voice. "Give me a minute. I'll see what I can find. Can you all get up out of sight while I look." 

Syl took hold of Lydecker one side, while Max took the other side. Syl counted down silently before they leapt into the trees. "This is closer than I ever wanted to be to you, Lydecker." 

Krit leapt up into another tree. He watched quietly as the troops passed beneath them. Occasionally he glanced over at his sisters to make sure they were safe. He had to agree with Syl, this was closer than any of them wanted to be to Lydecker. 

"The tracks stop, Sir." The soldier spoke into a walkie-talkie. "They seem to disappear into thin air." An answer started to come back across the walkie-talkie but was drowned out by some sort of interference. "Could you repeat that, Sir? There seems to be some interference in the area." The crackling continued across the radio. 

Max smiled at her sister and mouthed Logan's name. Motioning to Krit, Max moved through the treetops assisting Syl with Lydecker. The breeze rustling the leaves kept their movements covered. It was hard going as Lydecker's wounds on his hands and arms made it difficult for him to grip hold of the branches or an outstretched hand. 

"Captain Thomas. Shall we stay put or move back to base?" Private Merchants couldn't see the point of waiting around on the off chance Colonel Lydecker dropped into their laps. 

"We will await further orders, Private." Captain Thomas attempted to clear the reception on his walkie-talkie. "Sir? We are still having trouble receiving your orders. Please repeat." 

"I said, they are in the trees, you idiot." White's voice bellowed across the walkie-talkie. "They don't just disappear. The X5s have found him and taken him up into the trees." 

Captain Thomas looked up into the trees, but couldn't see anything. The branches and leaves were too dense. "Fire into the trees." 

Covered by the sound of gunfire, Max, Syl, Krit and Lydecker swung down from the trees and ran back to where the van was hidden. Krit pulled the branches away from the driver's side and climbed in, starting the engine. "Let's get out of here before they realize they're shooting at thin air and squirrels in the wrong trees." 

Max and Syl shoved Lydecker into the back of the van. "We're in." Max banged on the side of the van. "Get us out of here." 

Back in the woods Captain Thomas gave the order to stop the gunfire. He could hear the sound of tires screeching in the distance. "Damn it. They're getting away. Don't just stand there. Go after them." 

By the time they got back to their vehicles, the X5s and Lydecker were long gone. Captain Thomas cursed under his breath. White was not going to like this. If there was one thing Thomas had learned about White, it was that he took bad news out on the messenger. 

In the back of the van Max looked at Lydecker's hands. "Logan. Can you patch me through to Jondy? These cuts look pretty bad." 

"No problem. Is everyone else alright?" Logan quickly punched Jondy's number and prepared to make the connection. 

"Yeah. We're all fine." Max listened for her sister's voice. "Hey, Jondy. I'm looking at some deep cuts on Lydecker's hands." She waited for Syl to clean the wounds. "No, it doesn't look as though any tendons have been injured." She listened to her sister's instructions and then glanced over at Lydecker. "Can you wiggle your fingers?" 

Lydecker moved his fingers but it was difficult and painful. "Yeah, but it stings like hell." 

Max repeated his comments back to Jondy over the coms. "Okay, got it. I'll call you later." She reached for the bandages in the first aid box. "Jondy says we have to keep the wounds moist. It will limit the scaring and give you more movement in your hands." She checked her watch. "Damn, we're running late. Logan, I'll meet you at your Grandmother's. Krit, can you drop me off?" 

Krit chuckled. "Aren't you supposed to be wearing a fancy dress, not arm fatigues?" He could picture his sister storming into an upper crust party looking as though she had been dragged through a hedge backwards. 

Logan pulled his tuxedo jacket on and rolled his eyes when he heard Krit's comment over the coms. "Don't worry about the dress. We'll sort it out when you get there. Better drop Lydecker off at the safe house." 

"Don't worry, we'll get Cinderella to the ball." Syl finished bandaging one of Lydecker's hands, while Max did the other. 

Max glared at her sister. "Very funny. Don't expect this van to turn into a pumpkin at midnight." She caught Lydecker's disapproving look. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not one of your little toy soldiers any more. I'm just a regular girl going to have dinner with a snobby family." 

"You'll always be different." Lydecker pointed out. "You will always feel as if you don't fit in, because you don't. That won't change no matter how much you want it to." 

Syl shot Lydecker a filthy look. "How about we just push him out the van and leave him for White's people to pick up? It's not as though we need him." 

Krit pulled into the drive of the safe house. "Sounds good to me. There's always somebody else we can get the answers we want from." 

Lydecker was worried for a moment that they were serious. White would kill him on sight, he had made that clear when he had, had Lydecker run off the road. 

Max gave Lydecker a shove. "Get out. We're at the safe house." She unlocked the door to the house and switched the light on. "Don't break anything and don't phone anyone. We found out your home phone's being tapped, so no checking messages." 

Lydecker nodded that he understood. "I have nobody to phone anyway. Did you get a cure for that virus?" There was something different about Max. She seemed happy when she thought he wasn't looking. It wasn't something he had ever seen with any of his kids before. 

"Yeah." Max checked the house quickly. "Jondy came to the rescue just like she always does." She flicked the television on for him before walking out of the house closing the door behind her. 

Lydecker looked around him before settling down in an armchair in front of the television. "This is cozy." It had been a while since he had sat in a comfortable chair. Hell, it had been a while since he had slept in a bed. Might as well make the most of it while he could. He had underestimated his kids before and they had escaped. He needed their help to stay alive; if he was going to get it then he would have to tread lightly. 

Krit pulled up in front of a huge mansion. "Wow. I forgot they made places like this. You'd better hurry up and get inside, Maxie. Prince Charming awaits." He couldn't resist teasing her. 

Max sat in the open doorway of the van chewing on her lower lip. "Logan never told me that his Grandmother was this loaded. I can't go in dressed like this." 

Sly leaned forward and rested her chin on her sister's shoulder. "Sure you can. Go and live the dream, little sister. No one deserves it more than you." She nudged her sister out the door. 

"Excuse me, Miss." A butler appeared from out of nowhere. "Would you be Max?" He smiled kindly. Young Mr. Cale had described the young lady before him to a Tee. 

"Yes." Max looked over her shoulder at her brother and sister who were watching from the van with great interest. She turned back to the butler. "I know I'm not dressed appropriately, but Logan said to turn up anyway." 

The butler merely smiled. "Mrs. Cale mentioned that there were a few dresses upstairs that may fit you and you are most welcome to use the adjoining bathroom if you wish to change." He gestured towards the mansion. "This way, Miss. Will your brother and sister be joining us?" He inquired pleasantly. 

"No thanks." Krit and Syl spoke in unison. This was Max's night and they had no wish to intrude. "See ya tomorrow." They waved goodbye to Max and drove away. 

Left with no other choice Max followed the butler into the mansion. As they started up the enormous staircase, a familiar little voice called out. "Max. You came." A blond little girl ran up to her. "Uncle Logan said you would." 

"Hey, Brittany." Max crouched down in front of the pretty six year old. "I didn't know that you'd be here. I guess that means I have someone else to talk to." She kissed the little girl's forehead. "I'll be right back, I've just got to go and get cleaned up. Can you go and let Uncle Logan know I'm here." 

"Okay." Brittany ran back the way she had come yelling. "Uncle Logan! Max is here!" Her running footsteps echoed with her voice in the foyer. 

Max looked up at the butler who was trying not to laugh. "And here I was thinking I wouldn't know anyone." She giggled and followed the butler up the rest of the stairs. 

He showed her into a room that was about the size of her whole apartment. Lying on the King-size bed were three of the most beautiful gowns that Max had ever seen. "The on suite is over there, Miss. Mrs. Cale says there's no hurry." He walked over to the door. "Miss Brittany likes the dress in the middle." He added as he closed the door. 

Max showered quickly and dried her hair. She picked up the gown that Brittany liked and put it on. Cautiously she walked down the staircase towards the sound of voices. As she rounded the corner, she saw a woman sitting in a wheelchair watching the people in the living room. 

Max stood beside the woman for a moment. Brittany was commanding Logan's complete attention. "God, I wish I could have been like her at that age." The woman looked up at her and smiled. "Logan and Brittany, the only two real people in that room. The rest of them are so false. The only reason they are here is to ensure their place in my will. I just hope Brittany remains unspoiled." She held out her hand. "I'm Emily Cale, Logan's Grandmother. You must be Max, Logan's girlfriend." 

Max shook Emily's hand. She had never been referred to as Logan's girlfriend before. It felt great. Emily Cale wasn't nothing like Max had expected. She didn't look anywhere close to ninety-five years old and apart from the wheelchair, there was nothing frail about her. Even her handshake was firm. She had the same sparkling blue eyes that Logan had. "It's nice to meet you. Logan's been singing your praises. Thank you for the loan of the dress. It's beautiful." 

Emily looked at the young woman before her. "It looks lovely on you. Why don't we go in and you can dazzle my Grandson." 

Max followed Emily into the living room. Immediately the whole family flocked around her vying for attention except for Logan and Brittany. Brittany raced over to Max for a hug. Logan walked over to join them. 

Logan couldn't take his eyes off of Max. "You look stunning," he whispered as he kissed her, causing Brittany to giggle. "Hey, I can kiss my girlfriend if I want to." Logan tweaked Brittany's nose. 

"You look pretty, Max." Brittany clamped her little arms around her neck. "Can you finish the story?" She referred to 'The Little Mermaid' story that Max had started to read her about nine months ago. 

Max smiled at the little girl in her arms. "I don't know if your Great Grandmother has that book. I'll see if I can remember the rest of it after dinner." 

Having satisfied Brittany with a possible maybe answer, Max carried the little girl to the dinner table. Logan managed to rescue his Grandmother from the crowd of relatives that were sucking up. 

After dinner, Max kept her promise and finished telling Brittany the story of the little mermaid. The little girl fell asleep on her lap. "Maybe I should try another story next time." She joked with Logan as they walked to the door. She had enjoyed herself tonight. Emily Cale was a wonderful woman who did not suffer fools easily. 

"Max. You forgot your clothes dear." Emily held out a bag with the clothes that Max had arrived in. They had been washed and dried. "Peter cleaned them while we were at dinner." 

"Peter's the butler." Logan hastily explained. "Thanks for dinner, Gran. I'll call you later in the week." He bent down and kissed his Grandmother's cheek. "Happy Birthday." 

"Thank you both for the lovely gift." Emily beamed at the couple. "Come back and visit, both of you. It was a pleasure to finally meet the woman that makes Logan so happy." 

Max was sure that she saw Logan blush. "It was great meeting you, too. I'll return the dress in the morning. It was very kind of you to loan it to me." 

"You keep it Dear." Emily smiled knowingly at Logan. "I'm sure Logan's mother would have wanted you to have it." She waved goodbye to the couple as Peter saw them to Logan's car. 

Later that night at Logan's apartment, Max caught him up on the day's activities. Logan told Max about how everyone was practically tripping over themselves trying to get his Grandmother's attention. He had finally sneaked his Grandmother away for a game of pool, until Brittany had found them. He had given his Grandmother a broach and signed the card from both of Max and himself. 

The music from the stereo played a ballad and Logan pulled Max into his arms and began to dance. This was the perfect end to a perfect evening. 

"Do you think you can trust Lydecker, now that you've found him?" Logan murmured into her hair. 

"No more than we ever trusted him. He's got a lot more to loose now, though." Max had thought about it on the way to Emily Cale's mansion. "When Manticore wanted him dead, he had a pretty good chance of talking his way out of it. With White wanting him dead, he's gonna have to keep his head down or get it shot off." 

"I guess he's still the lesser of two evils." Logan didn't even register that the music had stopped. He kept dancing, not wishing to let go of Max. 

"I guess." Max frowned up at Logan. "The music has stopped." She giggled at the look of surprise on Logan's face. "You're still dancing even without the music." 

Logan stopped dancing. "I didn't want to let go of the gorgeous woman I am dancing with." He loved the way her face lit up when he gave her a complement. He couldn't stop himself from erasing the brief distance between them and passionately kissing the woman he loved. All thoughts of Lydecker and White were pushed into the background for one night. 

_The End_


	16. Blast From the Past

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Extra chapter, not an actual part of the series.

* * *

**"Blast From The Past"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Rating:**

PG - some graphical violence

**Category:**

Action/Adventure

**Spoilers:**

Takes place sometime after Medium is the Message. Follow up story to Better the Devil You Know. Response to Challenge #2 (A story, any length, involving one of the other escapees from the Manticore project. There were eleven others besides Max, so there are plenty of possibilities.)

**Summary:**

While trying to get Alec out of trouble, Max and Jondy stumble across another X5 brother.

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Rein, Selina and Cole however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

* * *

May 2009 A boy around the age of twelve ran across the snow so fast that he barely left any footprints in the white powder. The sound of cracking ice caught his attention. Ducking behind a nearby tree, he searched for the source of the noise. He was just in time to see Max fall through the ice. He raced over to help her out. The sound of the soldiers getting closer alerted the both of them to the danger of being caught. Max took a deep breath and ducked under the ice, as the boy ran to hide.

The soldiers ran straight past the two children, completely unaware that they were hiding right under their noses. As soon as the soldiers were a safe distance away, the boy ran out from his hiding place and helped Max out of the icy water.

"Thanks Rein." Max hugged her green eyed brother. They surveyed the snow covered landscape which had taken on a blue hue from the night sky. The way was clear for the moment. The two children looked regretfully at each other before splitting up and going their separate ways.

2021 None of them had wanted to split up that night. It was Zack who had said it would be safer that way. Looking back twelve years later, the man that Rein had become realized Zack had been right. There wasn't a day that went by, when he didn't wonder what had happened to the others.

Pushing the past back into the safety of his subconscious, Rein pulled his jacket on and made his way to work. He never noticed the looks he got from women as he walked confidently down the Seattle streets. His jet black hair highlighted the emerald green of his eyes. Like most of his brothers, although he didn't know it, Rein stood over six foot tall. He had the appearance of a body builder, with his sculptured muscles unsuccessfully hidden under the brown sweatshirt and faded blue jeans. It was his hands with the long fingers that gave away the artist in him. Paint, pencil, clay, he could produce works of art with any of them. It was a talent that had been frowned upon at Manticore, but was rejoiced in the outside world. In his spare time he made a bit of extra cash doing drawings for people on the street.

Rein walked into a local nightclub nodding hello to the waitress' that called out greetings to him. He walked calmly up the steps to the locker rooms. He waved hello to the other bouncers and opened his locker pulling out his uniform to change into. Although Rein was quiet and kept to himself, his height and build make him appear to be a force to be reckoned with.

"Rein!" Cole, the owner of the club called out to him. "Looks like it's going to be a full house tonight. Get yourself a cup of coffee and watch the dance floor tonight, alright."

"Sure thing, Cole." Rein had a lot of time for Cole, His boss didn't ask a lot of personal questions, he just expected Rein to do his job and paid him well for doing so.

Rein positioned himself with his cup of coffee by the bar. Cole had been right, the place was already packed. Rein cast a glance over the crowd. He had the uncanny knack of being able to pick out who the trouble makers would be. He gaze rested on a man surrounded by beautiful women. The man looked as though he was about the same age as Rein, maybe a year or two older. He had mischievous blue eyes, blond hair and an infectious grin. "Oh yeah. You're going to be trouble." Rein chuckled to himself.

As the night wore on, the crowd around the blond, blue eyed man increased. He was drawing pretty women to him like moths to a light. Unfortunately, most of the women had boyfriends, husbands or partners, who were becoming incredibly agitated that their women were paying more attention to the stranger, than to them.

Just as it looked as if a fight was about to erupt, two women walked up to the stranger. The women were as different as night and day. One had dark hair, big brown eyes and full lips. She was dressed completely in black. The other woman had red hair which was a stark contrast to her pale skin and bright blue eyes. She was dressed in a bright top, black jeans and stiletto boots. As different as the two women were, they mirrored each others moments as they looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

Rein stopped in his tracks when he witnessed the silent exchange between the two women. He had seen two of his sisters work together the same way when they were children at Manticore. Max and Jondy, the Manticore twins. Rein decided to wait and watch a moment longer.

Max took a step backwards so that Jondy could reach Alec. They had spotted White as they made their way through the club to get Alec. It didn't take long to realize Alec was up to his usual antics. "I suppose we should be grateful he's not in a strip club. Let's try and get out of here without drawing too much attention." Max watched for any extra trouble while Jondy worked at getting Alec out of the trouble he was getting himself into.

"Alec, Honey, there you are." Jondy managed to come up with a southern accent. "We've gotta get going. The kids are waiting for you to tuck them in." She took hold of Alec's hand and looked at him adoringly. "You know they love it when their Daddy tells them a bedtime story."

The women surrounding Alec immediately looked disgusted with him and departed taking their partners with them. Alec laughed good naturedly. "Wow, that was close."

Max reached out and smacked him around the back of the head. "Idiot. White's here. Logan picked up a call with his scanner. White knew where to find you. Have you been flashing your barcode trying to impress women again?" There were times when Max got so exasperated with Alec's carelessness.

Alec stopped laughing and looked around him. All of the exits had been blocked even though the three of them didn't appear to have been spotted. "How are we getting out?"

Jondy had noticed the bouncer watching them. His green eyes looked so familiar to her. "Max. Take a look at this bouncer and tell me who he reminds you of. The eyes especially." She had gone back to the English accent she normally used.

Alec stared at Jondy as though she were insane. "We're trapped in here with White and you two are trying to pick up a guy together? Need I remind you what White will do to us if he catches us?"

Both women turned and glared at him. Max gave an unladylike snort. "Need we remind you, that it is because of you being careless that we are all stuck in here with White." She focused in on the bouncer that Jondy was talking about. "Rein used to have eyes that shade of green. You think it's him?"

"There's no time to find out." Jondy had just caught sight of White heading their way. "Maybe we can get out under the stage."

Rein watched as Max and Jondy headed for the stage. The moment they got on the stage, everybody would be able to see them. He had managed to catch most of their conversation. He could only guess that White posed the same sort of threat that Lydecker did. Rein walked over to the DJ and suggested a track to play. If these two women were his sisters, then Jondy would find a way to distract everyone while the other two got out. Rein could get his redheaded sister out by using the crowd to his advantage.

The three X5's heard the change in music and looked over to where Rein was standing by the DJ. Max nudged her sister. "If you're not out in ten minutes, we're coming back in to get you." She listened briefly to the song playing. "What can you do with Britney Spears." She recognized the song. It dated back to 2002.

Jondy smiled sweetly. "I think I can come up with something. Meet you outside in ten minutes." She walked onto the stage. The track was called Overprotected. It had a good beat for her to work with.

Jondy strutted onto the stage in time with the music and stopped at the edge. She looked right into White's eyes, her own face expressionless as she swung her hips seductively with the music, her hands gliding up her body.

White knew immediately what was going on. "She's covering for the others. Spread out and find them." He started making his way towards the stage, but the crowd had packed itself around the stage and was too dense for him to get through.

Rein hit the switch for the strobe lights as Jondy bounced back a few steps in time with the jerky beat of the music. He gestured to a couple of the other bouncers that there were armed men in the building.

A couple of men from the crowd tried climbing onto the stage with Jondy as she danced. She even timed her fighting movements with the music as she threw them off of the stage. Jondy never missed a beat, even with people stuffing money in her pockets.

Rein maintained control of the crowd near him, while the other bouncers were trying to find out what military type troops where doing in the building. Rein gestured to Jondy to move near the trap door on the stage. As the track hit it's last note, Rein hit the release for the trap door and Jondy disappeared through it.

White cursed as the crowd cheered the impromptu act. He pulled the walkie talkie out of his jacket pocket. "X5 210 is somewhere under the stage. Find her. Team two, X5 452 and 891 are somewhere outside the building waiting for X5 210. Approach with caution. Do not let them out of the sector."

Max, Jondy and Alec sat on the roof of the building adjacent to the club. Max dialed Logan's cell phone number. "Hey, it's me. We've got Alec out but White's people have the place surrounded. We're going to have to stay put until they give up and go home."

Logan could have happily strangled Alec for putting them all in danger. "How did you get out. Or should I ask what Jondy did to cover for you getting Alec out?" He saw Krit, Syl and Zane let themselves into his apartment. Zane's dog followed at his master's heels.

Max snickered at her sister counting the money that had been stuffed into her pockets. "Jondy made four hundred bucks keeping her clothes on. On a slightly different note, we have stumbled on one of our brothers, so all in all, I guess we've had a busy evening."

Logan shook his head. "Let me see if I can get White to relocate his men long enough for you to get out of there. Is White using a walkie talkie or his cell phone?"

Max repeated the question to Jondy. Jondy had actually passed right past White's feet when she had crawled out from under the stage. "Walkie talkie. He had his cell phone clipped onto his belt."

Max repeated the information back to Logan. Logan started tapping into the frequency on White's walkie talkie. Motioning to Krit, he pointed to the microphone that was set up on the desk. "Tell White that Alec, Max and Jondy have been sighted on foot in sector seven."

White's walkie talkie crackled. "Sir? Three of the rouge X5's have been sighted in sector seven. I repeat. Three X5's have been sighted in Sector seven. One of them is a redheaded woman."

White turned pale. "How the hell did they get to sector seven so quickly? Approach with caution. Shoot to kill if necessary, but I want X5 210 alive understand?"

"Yes Sir." The voice fizzled out on the walkie talkie.

White paced for a moment. How had the three X5's gotten across town to sector seven so fast. Even with their souped up DNA it seemed impossible. "Search the roof." He wasn't convinced the sighting in sector seven was correct. "Team one take the roof. Team two head over to sector seven" he was leaving nothing to chance.

Rein watched the chaos outside the club. He thought Lydecker was persistent in his search for the escaped X5's, but this guy White was like a machine. He would never stop until he or the X5's were dead. Rein went back to his post by the bar, watching the dance floor. His sisters knew where to find him now. They would contact him when it was safe.

Syl glanced at the clock on the wall for what seemed like the hundredth time. "What's taking them so long? They should be back by now."

Logan came back into the room. Jondy's twins were still fast asleep in the guest room, much to his relief. "They had to stay off of the street and travel by rooftop. If they're not back in another ten minutes, I'll give Matt Sung a call and get him to take a look for them."

"Look for who?" Max walked in the door followed by Alec and Jondy. "Sorry we took so long. White wasn't giving up too easily. We saw Rein though."

"Rein?" Logan started to relax now that Max and Jondy were safe and sound. "Is he one of your siblings that escaped with you?"

"Yeah." Max sat on the arm of the chair that Logan had sat down in. "He's a bouncer at the club we were at tonight. He helped us get out of there. I don't think White knows who he is, so he's probably still safe."

"Thanks to Alec," Krit frowned at his fellow X5. "We can't go back there and speak to Rein. White will have people watching the place. The phones will probably be tapped now as well."

"We'll find a way to contact Rein." Jondy reassured her brother. "We just have to wait a while. I have to get over to the hospital and put a few hours in." She ruffled Alec's hair. "No using my children to pick up girls."

"I'll go with you.' Zane followed his sister, his dog walked between Zane and Jondy. "There's a lot of weirdo's out there."

Syl slumped down in an armchair. "So what's the deal with Jondy's medical degree? She has to put in a few hours at a hospital to keep it?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah, something like that. Sam needed the help at the hospital anyway, so it fitted in perfectly. All we have to do is make sure White doesn't find her."

Max glared at Alec. "Next time you get spotted by White's people, you're on your own. Jondy has kids now. She can't keep saving your arse and risking her own. Don't you get that?"

Alec felt terrible. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to have a bit of fun. How was I to know that all of those women had temperamental partners. It could have been worse, I could have been in a strip joint."

Krit put his head in his hands. "If that had been the case, you would be in a cage or dead now. No way would Jondy do a strip to save your sorry butt."

The full impact of what Max and Krit were saying hit Alec hard. Jondy had been through so much in this year alone. He couldn't bare to think that he was making her life even worse. "I promise, it will never happen again. I'll be more careful."

Metro Medical was hectic tonight. Sam Carr watched the patients pour in. "Has Dr Saunders arrived yet, Selina?" Sam smiled at the young nurse who looked run off of her feet.

"Yes Dr Carr." Selina smiled at the Doctor. "Her brother brought her in a few minutes ago. Is anybody in that family ugly?"

Sam chuckled. "Not that I've seen. Can you page her and get her to come to emergency. We're getting overcrowded in there and I could use the help." He made his way back into the emergency room.

Sitting on an examination table holding a towel to his forehead, Rein watched the Doctor walk back into the examination room. A fight had erupted at the club. Rein had managed to stop a drunken thug from killing his girlfriend, but Rein had ended up getting a broken bottle to his face and arm.

Rein heard the sound of stiletto heels on the tiled floor. He saw Dr Carr smile at someone behind him. "Hey Jessica. Can you take a look at our friend here. He had a fight with a broken bottle. His boss is worried about how close the wound is to his eye. I'll take the car accident victim." Rein turned slightly to see who the Doctor was talking to. Standing before him wearing a white lab coat was Jondy.

"No problem Sam." Jondy moved the towel away from Rein's face. "Well, let's clean this up and see if we can keep you from scaring." She winked at Rein. "Thanks for your help tonight."

"You're a Doctor?" Rein was confused.

"It's sort of a part time thing. Actually, although I have a medical degree, I usually tend bar at nights." Jondy kept her voice low as she cleaned Rein's wounds. "I live in San Francisco normally. Just visiting my sister Max, who lives here. My brothers Krit and Zane and our sister Syl are also visiting." As far as Jondy could see Rein's wounds weren't deep and would probably be completely healed by the end of the week. She kept their conversation sounding as though Rein was just another patient in case someone overheard them. "So do you still draw?" She bandaged up his arm.

Rein was still dealing with the fact that Max lived in Seattle. She had been close by all of this time and he hadn't know. "Sometimes. The club keeps me busy though." He lowered his voice. "What about the others that escaped? Are they all safe?"

Jondy dressed Rein's head wound. She could whisper and Rein would be the only one that would be able to hear her. "Tinga's dead. Zack's alive, but he's more machine than transgenic now. It's a long story, but the summary is that he has no memory of us and he's safe. Ben went insane and was killed. Brin got taken back to Manticore and reprogrammed. Jace got out of Manticore about a year and a half ago. Oh yeah, Max blew Manticore up."

"Twelve of us escaped, what about the other two?" Jondy had only covered the whereabouts of nine of their siblings, ten if Rein counted himself.

Jondy shook her head. "Zack's the only one who knew where they were." She could see more casualties coming in. "If you need anything, get hold of Max. You can find her at Jam Pony. Manticore has been destroyed, Ames White is the new problem. He's stronger than a transgenic and he will not stop until we have all been destroyed. Watch your back." Jondy squeezed her brother's hand. "Take care Big Brother."

Rein watched his sister walk away. "Jondy always the complicated one." He muttered to himself. He eased off the examination table and went to find Cole, who had brought him to the hospital. After twelve years, he had finally found his family. Suddenly life had a whole new meaning to it.

_The End_


	17. A day at the Beach

* * *

Extra chapter, not an actual part of the series.

* * *

**"A Day at the Beach"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Rating:**

PG - some graphical violence

**Category:**

Romance

**Spoilers:**

Follow up story to Blast from the Past. Response to Challenge # 29 (Beaches are unique places. Some have rocks, some have sand that looks like snow. All tend to smell like fish, or salt or snow. Describe it in detail.)

**Summary:**

On a rare sunny day in Seattle, Logan organises a day at the beach for Max and her family and friends. 

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The character of Rein however does belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

* * *

The Seattle sky for once was free of it's usual gray pigment and black thunderclouds. It's bright blue color was a sight rarely seen as was the sun that was beaming down on the beach. The sand was a gleaming white littered with splashes of multi colored shells. Before them the aqua tinged water stretched out to meet the sky.

It had been Logan's suggestion to spend the day at the beach. That in itself was unusual. He usually preferred to spend his time in front of the computer. But as he had pointed out, it was rare that this many of the X5 siblings were in the same place at the same time and not injured or in trouble. It seemed a perfect way to catch Rein up with everybody. It would also a new experience for Joshua to enjoy.

The beach was deserted, which was one of the reasons Logan had chosen it. As they climbed out of the van and Jondy's car, they were hit with a light salty tasting breeze. Joshua raised his face up to feel the sun beat down on him. It was the strangest sensation for him.

Zane had brought a Frisbee for his dog to play with and it soon became a team game when Krit, Syl, Alec and Joshua joined in. The sound of crushing shells under their every step, mixed with waves crashing on the beach.

Original Cindy had been invited along as well. She sat on the blanket they had spread out with Jondy, the twins and Rein. It occurred to her that Rein was staring at his siblings. "What's up Boo? Did you forget you had such a good looking family?"

Rein chuckled at his new friend. "It's not that. It's just been too long since I last saw them. We even seen to have acquired a few new members. I feel as if I have missed an entire lifetime." When he got no reaction from Cindy, he decided to explain. "The last time I saw Max and Jondy, they were eleven years old. We were all kids with shaved heads and wearing identical gray tunics. Now I'm faced with sisters that are more beautiful than most models you see in magazines and I find out that I'm an Uncle. I guess it's just a shock to the system."

Original Cindy nodded. "I hear ya, Boo. It's all good though, right?"

Rein nodded. "Yeah. It's all good."

Original Cindy looked around her. "Where are Max and Logan? They were here a minute ago."

Jondy peered out from beneath a giant sunhat, while she managed to keep her twins on the blanket. They had started crawling that week. "They went for a walk. I think Max is taking advantage of Logan actually wanting to be away from his computer." She watched the Frisbee game in front of her. This was how their lives should be. Full of enjoyment and with all of them together.

Strolling hand in hand further down the beach, Max and Logan let the sea water lap around their ankles. For once it was as though they were a normal couple. The sun beat down on them as they explored the inhabitants of some small rock pools and headed back to where they had left the others.

Joshua sat between Jondy and Max with Jondy's baby girl on his lap. "Can we stay here?" Despite the efforts of the others to get him out of the house when it was safe, he was starting to feel as though he was back in a cage.

Max was leaning back against Logan. "Joshua, we've talked about this before. It's not safe for you to be outside a lot. This beach is deserted for the moment, but that doesn't mean it always will be. Besides, wouldn't you get bored of it here after a while? The weather isn't usually this great."

"I guess." Joshua looked so downcast. He really was like a child. It didn't take long for him to cheer up, especially when Jondy asked him to go for a walk with her and the twins.

Rein observed the giant man towering above his petite sister. Alec had decided to join them and was now teaching Joshua how to skip shells across the water's surface. "She still doesn't know the attention she draws, does she?" He voiced his thoughts out loud, not really caring if he got an answer or not.

Zane gave a short sharp laugh. "It's what Jondy was made for. I just wish she wasn't so effective. Being the object of White's obsession wasn't in the escape plan."

"Neither was being split up across America." Syl pointed out. "Why don't we just enjoy the rare good weather and forget about White for one day?"

They all agreed with Syl. It was a shame to ruin such a beautiful day talking about White. They were soon all laughing at the sight of Joshua, fully dressed, doggie paddling in the sea.

"Joshua. You're going to stink out the van with the smell of wet dog." Alec pulled his shirt off and slung it over Jondy's shoulder before diving into the water after Joshua.

Gradually, one by one they all headed into the water except Jondy, who went back to the blanket with the twins and Rein, who didn't really have a fondness for big pools of water, thanks to Manticore.

"Logan seems like a good guy." Rein commented as he watched Logan and Max floating around in each others arms, weightlessly in the water. "Max certainly thinks so." It was evident with the happy look on his sister's face.

Jondy nodded absentmindedly. "It took Logan a while to break the walls down that Max built up around her. They look as though they haven't a care in the world, don't they."

Rein could hear a twinge of envy in his sister's voice. "Yeah, but the world's never been that kind to us. At least they have each other."

Jondy smiled at her brother. Glancing up at the sky, she noticed gray clouds had started to form. "Oh well, it was nice while it lasted." She waved the others back onto the beach. "We'd better get going. I think it's going to rain any minute."

They all grabbed their gear and crammed themselves back into the two vehicles. Alec had just slammed the van door shut when the rain came pelting down.

Max leaned forward and kissed Logan. "Thanks for bringing us out here today." She could taste the salt from the sea water on his lips.

"You're welcome." Her happiness at his day off, made the pile of paperwork he had waiting for him back in his apartment more than worthwhile leaving.

Everybody in the van groaned when Logan and Max forgot they were in the van and passionately kissed each other. Krit banged on the side of the van. "Get a room you two. At least drop us off first before you start climbing over each other." He teased.

The change for the worst in the weather was dismissed, as everyone bathed in the enjoyment of the day they had spent together at the beach.

_The End_


	18. Hit and Run

**"Hit and Run"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Nigel, Julia, Kera, Captain Grant, Private Rogers, The twins (Tinga and Ben), Belinda, Leeza, Ashley, Mya, Celeste, Heidi, Blake, Mathew, Devon and Holly however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

In an attempt to trap Jondy, White hits Max with a pickup truck leaving her in critical condition. Guessing what White is up to Logan has to find a way to get Max back on her feet again without putting her sister right where White wants her. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs after "Proof Of Purchase".

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

Just another rainy night in Seattle. At least, that's what everyone else thought. To Max, it was one of the worse nights of her life. Her mood matched the weather as she rode her motorcycle through the murky, soaked streets. She had been heading back to her apartment, but at the last minute, had decided that she needed more time to think and had taken her bike in a different direction. 

She thought back to the events earlier in the evening. Max couldn't believe Logan couldn't understand her need to have her own apartment. As much as the idea of moving in with Logan sounded appealing, she needed her space. The apartment that she shared with Original Cindy gave her the space that she so desperately required. She had to admit, she had not handled his proposal well. 

Logan had quite innocently asked Max to move in with him. He had pointed out that she stayed there most nights anyway. Max had got nervous. That was the whole cause of tonight's argument. She had never been in a relationship like the one she had with Logan. It scared her to have such intense emotions about someone. She could see in his eyes the fear that he felt every time she left his apartment. 

Rather than show Logan how frightened she was, Max had accused him of being possessive and trying to keep her in a fancy cage. Her voice had been so shrill that she had barely recognized it. Logan had seen right through her protest, but resented being accused of trying to trap her. After a short yelling match, Max had stormed out of the apartment and ridden off into the dreary darkness. 

Now that she had calmed down, Max realized that if she had just reasonably discussed with Logan why she didn't want to move in with him, he would have understood and given her more time. She would go over there in the morning and apologize to Logan. He needed time to calm down as well. Once she explained everything he would forgive her for her childish outburst. 

As Max rode down the street, the lights casting shadows over the wet roads, she looked up in time to see a pickup truck run a stop sign. The last thing she saw before sinking into unconsciousness was the driver--Ames White. 

Logan hung the phone up. He couldn't find Max anywhere. She should have reached her apartment by now. It was bad enough that he couldn't get hold of Max, but having to endure the rant from Original Cindy was wearing him down. He knew that he had handled the whole evening badly. He didn't need Original Cindy to tell him that. 

Logan knew as soon as he had blurted out the words 'Move in with me', that he had approached the idea the wrong way. He felt certain her reaction had to do with her childhood at Manticore. If he hadn't let his hurt pride get in the way, then they could have talked it through. They might have found a way for Max to get past her fear. 

It was driving Logan crazy not knowing where Max was. He had an uncomfortable feeling that something had happened to her. His nerves were wound so tight that he jumped out of skin when the phone rang. He knew it wasn't Max. Max never called after they had an argument. She stormed into the apartment once she had given him time to cool down, then they talked and then they made up. This was one of those times Logan would have loved his instincts to be wrong. It wasn't Max. It was Sam Carr. 

"Logan, can you get down to Metro Medical right away." Sam sounded nervous. "There's been an accident. The police are asking a lot of questions." 

"I'll be right there." Logan slammed the phone down and grabbed his jacket. Thoughts of what might have happened to Max were racing through his head. Sam had said that there had been an accident. Logan knew how recklessly Max rode her motorcycle, but he also knew that the bike was her pride and joy. She would never do anything to damage it. 

Logan made his way to the hospital as though he were on automatic pilot. It wasn't until he reached the hospital that he noticed the increased number of police patrols out tonight. Making his way through the corridors, Logan finally found Sam, who waved him into his office. 

Sam shut the office door behind him. "Thanks for coming so quickly. It's Max. She was hit by a pickup when she was heading home." When Logan started to ask questions, the Doctor held his hand up to stop him. "Let me tell you everything I know so far. An eyewitness says they saw the pickup actually aim for Max. Then the driver got out of the truck cab and climbed into a waiting car and drove away. The real driver of the truck was brought in about twenty minutes before Max. D.O.A. I'm not going to lie to you, Logan, she's in bad shape. I managed to stop the internal bleeding, but she got a number of broken limbs. I barely recognized her when she was brought in; she was such a mess. I'm sorry. The next twenty four hours are critical." Sam didn't know how to break the next piece of news to his friend. "She lost the baby, Logan. I'm not sure that Max will ever be able to have children again." 

Logan was stunned. "Baby? I didn't even know Max was pregnant. Hell, I don't think she knew herself." He struggled to pull himself together. "I want to see her." 

Sam nodded. "Of course. I should warn you though, Logan. Max is in traction and she's pretty banged up. It'll be a shock to the system when you see her." Words could not describe what he was leading Logan to see. The Doctor himself had been stunned speechless when he realized who the young woman was that had been rushed into emergency. 

Logan didn't care what Max looked like. He just needed to know that she was alive. However, he couldn't hold back the gasp of horror when he saw the battered, bruised and bloodied figure in the bed before him. "Max?" He sat beside her bed in a chair Sam had, had brought in for him. More than anything in the world he wished that he could take back the fight they had earlier. For now he would settle for Max opening her eyes. 

"White," Max murmured, straining to open her eyes. "White was driving the pick up." The harder she tried to open her eyes, the more she felt as though someone was pushing them shut. Finally she managed to crank her eyes open. She felt exhausted, even breathing was an effort. "I can't move. What's wrong with me?" Panic settled in. The terrified look on Logan's face wasn't easing her fear. 

Sam stood at the other side of the bed. "Max, you're in traction. You also have internal injuries. It's going to take some time for you to heal. Anyone else would have died on impact. You're lucky to be alive, young lady." He was about to mention the loss of her baby, but caught the look Logan shot him. They needed to get Max out of danger before they broke that particular piece of bad news. 

Sam felt out of his depth with Max's condition. A normal person wouldn't have survived a truck running over them. He had no idea how quickly her genetically engineered body would heal or if she would end up a quadriplegic. "I think we should get Jessica in to look over your medical charts, Max. She has a better idea of the make up in your DNA. I don't have the genetic expertise that she does." 

If Max had been able to shake her head at that moment, she would have. It all made sense now. She had been wondering why White hadn't finished the job. "No. That's what White wants. He knows my sister would come running to help me. That's the only reason he let me live." She shifted her eyes to look at Logan. "Promise me you won't bring her to Seattle. Promise me you won't go after White." She had seen that stubborn look on Logan's face before. "Logan. Promise me." 

Logan begrudgingly made the promise, but only to calm Max down. He sat with her until she fell asleep and then went outside the room to speak to Sam. "How long before Max can be moved." Logan had promised not to bring Jondy to Seattle; he hadn't made any promises about not moving Max to San Francisco. 

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "I'm honestly not sure with Max. The next twenty-four hours are critical, but it's a good sign that she had been awake and talking. What does this guy White want with Jessica?" 

Logan ran his hand over his tired face. "Nothing good. I'll get a copy of your notes on Max's condition to Jessica so that she can recommend the next move. I'll give Original Cindy a call and get her down here. I don't want anyone I don't know in that room with Max. I'm guessing White doesn't know that Jessica doesn't live in Seattle, so he probably has people watching the hospital." 

Sam understood. "It's your call. I'll do what I can, but I'm way out of my league on this Logan." 

"I know." Logan appreciated his friends honestly. "I realize I'm asking for a miracle, but I happen to know a certain redhead that seems to specialize in miracles." He grinned with more confidence than he felt. 

Logan watched over Max until Original Cindy arrived at the hospital. Once she got over the shock of how serious Max's condition was, Cindy took over watching Max while Logan made a few phone calls. She wasn't used to seeing Max so weak and helpless. It was a jolt to the system seeing the feisty brunette hooked up to machines, monitors and tubes. 

Jondy had been getting an uneasy feeling all night. It had hit her about an hour after she had started her shift at the bar. It had been so busy that she hadn't had a chance to check up on her siblings to make sure everyone was alright. 

"Jess!" Nigel called out to her from the other end of the bar. "Phone call for you." He held the phone out for her. "Sounds like that guy Logan. Is he a new boyfriend?" 

Jondy chuckled at her boss' question. "No, he's my sister's boyfriend." She waited for Nigel to go back to serving customers before answering the phone. "What's wrong with Max?" 

Logan was taken aback by Jondy's greeting. "How did you know something was wrong?" Realizing he still had a lot to learn about the X5s, Logan dismissed his own question. "I need your help. Max has been in an accident." He hesitated to label what had happened to Max, an accident. 

"What did White do to her this time?" Jondy could tell from the tone of Logan's voice that it hadn't been an accident. The fact that Max hadn't phoned herself and the uneasy feeling Jondy had been getting, meant that Max was in a serious condition. 

"He ran over her in a pick up truck." Logan felt the rage boil up inside of him. "I'm going to send you the doctor's notes on Max. Sam feels a bit over his head. He doesn't know how quickly Max will heal or what won't heal." 

"I can be there in a few hours." Jondy knew that Julia would look after the children and Nigel would understand her need to be in Seattle with her sister. 

"No." Logan tried not to yell down the phone. "Max thinks that's why she's still alive, because White wanted to ensure he could catch you. He's seen how close the two of you are." 

"What do you need?" As much as Jondy wanted to ignore Logan's protest, she knew it would be useless being in Seattle if White caught her. She would be no help to anyone if that happened. 

Logan breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, first of all I need you to look through Sam's notes. As soon as it's safe, I want to move Max to San Francisco. If we can't get you to Max, maybe I can get Max to you. We think that White probably has people watching the hospital, so the sooner I can get her out of here, the better. Original Cindy's keeping an eye on Max while I'm out of the room, so I've got that base covered at least." 

"Sounds as though you've got everything covered at the moment." Jondy had never felt so useless in her entire life. "I'll give you a call as soon as I've looked through Sam's notes. Let's just hope our Manticore genes work in Max's favor. As much as I hate to suggest this, we may have to get Lydecker's help." 

Logan didn't want to be away from Max any longer than necessary, even if Original Cindy was watching over her. "Thanks, Jondy. I'll wait for your call. Bye." He jammed his cell phone back into his pocket and went back to Max's room. 

Original Cindy looked up as Logan walked into the room. "She's still sleeping. That doctor friend of yours is even keeping the nurses out of here." She was too afraid to even hold Max's hand incase she hurt her. "What's the plan?" She had a sneaking suspicion of who Logan had been talking to. "Is Sister Girl coming to the rescue again?" 

Logan lent against the wall next to Max's bed. "It's too dangerous for Jondy to come here. I'm working on getting Max to her. I'm not sure how, but what I am sure of is that it's not safe here for Max either." 

Original Cindy wasn't surprised. Ever since she found out that Max was a genetically engineered soldier, very little surprised her about her friend. "You don't know if Jondy can fix things this time, do you?" She didn't have time to get an answer as Max opened her eyes. "Hey sugar, about time you woke up. Now what's this I hear about you having a fight with a pick up truck?" 

Max managed a smile. "I'd laugh but it hurts like hell at the moment." Unable to turn or move her head, she couldn't see Logan. "Where's Logan?" Max began to panic. "He's gone after White hasn't he?" 

"I'm right here, Honey." Logan moved over to the bed so that Max could see him. "I promised I wouldn't go after White. I'm not going anywhere." 

"Apparently, neither am I." Max tried to joke, but she was petrified. Not being able to move was a new experience for her and not one she wanted to get used to. "Normal's never gonna believe this excuse for more time off work. I had to flash my surgery scar the last time." 

Original Cindy tried to sound upbeat. "You leave Normal to me. I've got your back, Boo. I'm pretty sure you can get a doctor's note this time around. Don't make a habit of it, though." 

Max smiled at her friend. "I can honestly say, I have no plans to have anymore arguments with trucks." She was happy to have Original Cindy and Logan with her. 

Sam walked into the room and beckoned Logan. Once they were outside the room, Sam kept his voice low incase anyone was watching and listening in. "I have all of Max's records in this envelope." He handed the envelope to Logan. "Max is going to need a lot of help, but I don't want any of the nurses involved. Do you have any people you can bring in?" 

Logan nodded. "I'll call Sebastian and see if I can borrow some of his team. Max's boss is going to want a doctor's note. If you write one out, I'll drop it off. I don't want to send Max's records over an unsecured line, just in case White is tracking any outgoing calls, faxes or emails." 

"Good call." Sam looked over his shoulder making sure that they didn't have any unwanted spectators. "We need to tell her about the baby, Logan. She has a right to know." 

"Not yet, Sam." Logan dreaded having to explain to Max that she had been pregnant, lost the baby and there was a good possibility she wouldn't be able to have any more children. "I'll tell her once Jessica's called me back about Max's medical records. I'm sort of hoping for some good news to soften the blow of the bad news." 

Sam patted him on the back. "Fair enough. I've gotta go. I have other patients to see. I'll be back later." 

Logan dialed a number on his cell phone. "Sebastian. I need a favor." 

An hour later Original Cindy was dragging Normal into Max's hospital room. She pointed to where Max was laying. "There. Now you can quit bip, bip, bipping at me. My girl ain't going anywhere, least of all on a bike delivering packages for your sorry ass." 

Normal walked up to the bed and looked down at Max. "Well, this is certainly one for the books. This is the first time any of my employees has dropped a truck on themselves to get out of work." He nodded hello to Logan who was sitting by her bed. 

"Yeah, well you weren't buying any of my usual excuses, so I came up with a new one." Max joked back. "I might be off work for a week or eight." 

Normal smiled kindly. "I don't know how we'll cope without you, but I guess we can manage. I'd better get back and make sure those morons haven't blown the place up." He gave Max a quick wave. "See ya when you get back." He walked out with Original Cindy right behind him. 

Max stared up at Logan. "Why don't you go and take a break. The only time you've left this room is to make a phone call or to talk to Sam. Take a break, I'm not going anywhere." 

Logan didn't want to leave Max alone. "I'll take a break later." His emotions ranged between rage at White and guilt for the argument he and Max had, had. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you into moving in." 

Max was close to tears. "It wasn't all your fault. I didn't mean to yell at you, it's just you took me by surprise. I guess I got scared." 

"You need more time." Logan understood. "I realized that as soon as I put aside my dented pride. We have all the time in the world." He looked up when Alec walked in. "What are you doing here?" 

Alec tried not to show how horrified he was at Max's appearance. "I stopped by Joshua's. He's pretty upset that you haven't been by to see him, so I caught up with Original Cindy at work this morning. She said you were in here." 

"Well since you're here, you can sit with me while Logan takes a break." Max issued orders despite being unable to move. "Logan go and get some sleep." 

Reluctantly Logan agreed to let Alec stay with Max. He kissed her gently on the forehead and left the room. "I'll be back soon." He seriously doubted he would be able to get any sleep. At least he could arrange for Max to be moved to San Francisco. 

Letting himself into his apartment, Logan quickly set up a secure line and faxed Max's medical records to Jondy. He phoned Bling to let him know what had happened and then jumped in the shower. As the hot water pelted down on him, Logan prayed for a miracle. He had known what it felt like to be confined to a wheelchair. He knew Max couldn't live like that. All he cared about was that Max was alive, but Max wouldn't see it that way. He could tell that Max was thinking of the possibility that she might not be able to move again, when he looked in her eyes. If he could stop that possibility becoming a reality, then he would move heaven and earth to do so. 

He had only just got out of the shower when his cell phone rang. Recognizing the caller ID he smiled. "Hey, Jondy. Did Max's medical notes come through alright?" 

Jondy had just sent her adopted daughters off to school and Julia and Kera had both left for work. She had spread the faxed pages over the floor so that she could get a good overall picture, as well as keep an eye on her twins who were in a nearby playpen. "Yeah. I'm looking through them now. Max doesn't know about the baby, does she?" 

Logan cursed himself for not warning Jondy about the baby, but he was still struggling to deal with the news himself. "No. I didn't think Max was in any condition to find out that she had been pregnant and lost the baby." 

"Good call." Jondy would have done the same thing. "I'll need a second set of X-rays done tomorrow to be able to judge Max's progress. As soon as I have those, I'll be able to give you a more definite answer. If we are able to move Max, it will have to be by air." 

"I guess I can track down a helicopter, but the trouble will be finding a pilot that can't be brought or threatened by White." Logan was already going through possible contacts for a pilot in his head. 

"That's the easy part." Jondy smiled to herself. "Just call Krit. He can fly anything that has wings. It's his specialty. I think he's between jobs at the moment, so you'll have to try his cell phone. Also I'm going to need some of that equipment that you have stored in the back room." 

Logan heard his apartment door open and saw Bling walk in. "Fax me a list and I'll ask Bling to drive to San Francisco with what you need." Bling was already nodding that he would help. "Jondy, from what you can see from the pages I faxed through, will Max be able to move any of her limbs by herself?" Logan needed to be able to give Max some hope. 

"At this stage, I'd rather not say, Logan." Jondy needed to know if Max's genetically engineered body was going to start repairing itself. "Would it make a difference?" 

Logan didn't even have to think about his answer. "Not to me. You know how much I love your sister, Jondy. I just want her in my life, I don't care how." 

"As soon as I get the second set of X-rays and notes, I'll let you know what to expect." Jondy knew it would take a while for Max to fully heal, just as she knew her sister would never fully recover if she didn't have Logan's support. "I'll fax the list through for Bling immediately." 

Logan felt a sense of hope for Max. "I'll be at the hospital if you need anything. Thanks, Jondy. I knew we could count on you," he said goodbye and hung up his phone and went to get dressed. By the time he returned, Bling was reading through the list that Jondy had faxed. 

Bling waved the list at Logan. "I'll load up the van straight away. If I leave first thing in the morning, then I can help Jondy set everything up so it's ready when Max arrives." 

Logan was grateful for his friend's help. "Thanks. I'm heading back to the hospital once I've picked a nurse up. Sebastian offered the assistance of one of his people. He said that he'd send her straight to the hospital, but I don't want to give White an opportunity to get one of his people in there." 

Bling was aware of White's exploits. If they gave the deranged man the slightest chance he would use Max to get to Jondy. "You need anything else?" 

"Not at the moment." Logan grabbed his car keys and his jacket on his way out the door. He wanted to get back to the hospital and passed on Jondy's instructions to Sam. 

Max got fed up of staring at the ceiling and the painkillers were starting to wear off. "I think I'll get Joshua in here and get him to paint one of his originals on the ceiling." 

Alec had his feet propped up on her bed. "I could call Asha and ask if she has any kinky photos of Logan. I can paste them on the ceiling for you." He couldn't help teasing Max. It was a habit. 

Max rolled her eyes. "Nah. If Asha actually had those sort of pictures, I'd have to kick her ass. Given the fact that I'm more or less chained to this bed, it could be difficult to follow through on my threat." 

Alec chuckled to himself. "I'd love to see that fight though. Asha might just give you a run for your money if the prize was Logan. Still Logan would never accept her as anything more than a friend." 

Max moved her gaze from the ceiling to Alec. "What makes you say that? They have a lot in common, even more now with me paralyzed in this bed." 

Alec was not about to let Max feel sorry for herself. "For starters, you are not going to stay in that bed. You're too stubborn to give up this easy. Secondly, Asha wishes Logan would give her half the attention and lovey dovey looks that he gives you. You and Logan fought too hard to get together to just give up and let White win." 

Max looked at Alec suspiciously. "Have you been talking to Jondy recently?" His speech had sounded remarkably like something Jondy would say. 

Alec beamed at the mention of Jondy. "Yeah, I spoke to her. She said Ben and Tinga are using the furniture to help them stand up. That's sort of early for babies to start trying to walk isn't it?" 

"Could be they've inherited their mommy's genes." Max wondered if her sister knew about her accident. "You're not falling for my sister, are you?" 

Alec shook his head. "It's not like that." 

Ames White glared at the soldier before him. "What do you mean she hasn't shown up? Her sister is in intensive care. Have you checked all visitors and nurses going into her room?" 

"Yes, sir." Captain Grant was beginning to think White had gone insane over the redhead transgenic. "Only one doctor is allowed in the room and her husband. She has had three visitors but none of them are X5-210." 

"What's the status of X5-452's condition?" White started to pace. It didn't make sense. One of the main patterns in the X5s behavior was their loyalty to each other. Jondy and Max were rumored to have been especially close. 

"The hospital refuses to release that information, Sir." Captain Grant had been surprised himself at how quickly security had been placed around the X5 woman. "I tried saying I was family but I was told that all of her family had already been informed of her condition." He wasn't sure how to phrase his opinion so that he wouldn't get an explosive reaction from Ames White. "Begging your pardon, Sir, but her people seem to know that you've set a trap for X5-210." 

White stopped pacing. "If you're right, then her so called husband and friends are probably part of the medical team. I want them identified immediately." He would not be made a fool of, certainly not by a transgenic freak. 

Sam sat in his office the next day. The results of Max's tests and x-rays lay on his desk. She had already begun to heal. He had given the results to Logan as soon as they had come through so that he could forward them to Jessica. He had never seen anything like this before. Sam had, had patients that had recovered quickly, but not like Max was. The only draw back seemed to be that Max was in constant pain. Her body was fighting to maintain it's previous state against her brains wishes. As a result, Sam had kept her sedated more often than he would have liked to. 

Inside Max's room Logan was frantically trying to find a way to get Max out of the hospital without alerting the men White had in the reception area and surrounding the building. He had managed to get hold of Krit the evening before. Asha had managed to commandeer a helicopter and although Krit wasn't happy about it, she would get him and the helicopter to the hospital as soon as Jondy gave the okay. Logan had noticed that someone always seemed to be watching the room. Afraid that it would put Max's friends in danger, he had sent word via Alec for them to stay clear of the hospital. He wished that Jondy would hurry up and call him. The sooner they got Max out of the hospital and to a safer place, the happier he would be. 

Sam walked into the room talking on his cell phone. "I have her sedated at the moment, but she could come out of it at any moment. Are you sure about that?" He was concerned, but knew that his caller had more experience with what she was contemplating doing than he did. "Alright, I'll put him on." Sam handed the phone to Logan. "It's Jessica." 

Logan frowned. Why hadn't Jondy called him on his cell phone. "Hey. What's up?" 

"Well the battery on your phone is dead for starters." Jondy was inpatient to get her sister moved to safety. "Krit has just informed me that Asha is picking him up and taking him to a helicopter as we speak." 

Logan knew that Jondy and Krit didn't trust Asha, but he knew they would both push their distrust aside for their sister. "Look, I'm sorry about the phone. As for Asha, I needed her help and despite your obvious dislike of her, I do trust her." 

Jondy was not convinced that Asha's involvement was a good idea at all. "Be ready move Max within the hour. Alec will get Joshua to the helicopter. Keep Sam and Sebastian's nurse out of the loop as far as where Max is going. It will be safer that way." 

"I know." Logan felt an extra burden loaded onto his shoulders of being peacemaker between Asha and Max's siblings. "Why do you need Joshua?" 

"He soaks up information like a sponge." Jondy had already thought everything through. "Because of that, he will be able to help with Max. His safety is important to Max. It will ease her mind if he is here with us." 

"Fair enough." Logan trusted Jondy's judgment. She had come through often enough for him. "I'll have to find a way to get Max past the man White has watching the room. I don't think he knows he's been made yet." 

"Be careful." Jondy warned. "Max will never forgive me if anything happens to you. There's a chance the sedative will wear off before you get her to San Francisco. Just bare with her, hold her hand, recite poetry, I don't care. I don't want to have to treat her for a drug addiction as well as treating her injuries." 

Logan was confused. "Weren't you trained to deal with pain? Isn't that just another emotion that makes you weak, therefore you're expected to push it aside?" 

"Pretty much." Jondy sounded so blasé about the whole discussion. "I'll see you soon." She cut the connection and looked around the room that she was standing in. All of the windows had fogged up. "Oh God. Not now." This was no time for her to go into heat. 

White stared out of his office window. It had been the perfect plan. X5-452 had been frequently sighted riding her motorcycle on a particular street. All he had, had to do was wait. The pick up truck had been a last minute change of plan, he had meant to use his own car. Having seen the two X5 siblings race to each other's assistance previously, Ames had been positive X5 210 would drop everything to be at her sister's side. The only explanation was that Captain Grant was correct. The X5s knew what he was planning. An alternate conclusion suddenly struck him. He had foolishly assumed that X5-210 was living close to her sister. If that wasn't the case after all, then the injured X5 could be relocated to where her sibling was. 

White snatched up the phone and pressed a speed dial number. "Grant! Where is X5-452 at this precise moment?" He snarled down the phone. 

"They just took her to x-ray sir." Captain Grant grew alarmed at the tone of White's voice. "The set they took this morning weren't clear enough. Is there a problem, sir? I do have a man posted outside the x-ray department." 

"Send him inside." White already sensed that he was too late. "I want him to be one hundred percent sure that she is on the x-ray table. Send a man to the roof as well. I don't want there to be any chance of escape." Slamming down the phone, he cursed himself for not planting himself in the hospital. "If you want something down right, do it yourself." 

A few minutes later the phone rang. "Well?" He hissed down the phone. "Where is she?" 

"She's gone, Sir." Captain Grant wished the earth would open up and swallow him whole at that moment. "Private Rogers sighted a helicopter leaving the roof as he got there. The girl's doctor claims the man posing as her husband insisted she be moved to another hospital, but wouldn't say where." 

"Idiot!" White bellowed down the phone. "I gave distinct orders never to let her out of your sight. She could be anywhere. Get your men back to base. I'll have to circulate descriptions and photos of X5-452 to all of the hospitals. I seriously doubt that she is heading to a hospital, though." 

"They may be heading out of the country, Sir." Captain Grant replied hopefully. 

"No." White had a good idea what was going on. "X5-210 may not be situated in Seattle, but she is still in America. She's close enough to be reached quickly if she is needed." The X5s had made a fool of him and if it was the last thing he ever did, he would get revenge. Nobody made a fool of Ames White and got away with it. 

"Mom!" Belinda Saunders called to her adopted mother. "They're here. The helicopter's just landed." She jumped when she turned to find Jondy standing right behind her. 

"So I see." Jondy smiled at the young girl before her. "Could you please go and find Bling and let him know. We may need his help to get Max out of the helicopter." She waited for the helicopter blades to stop before she moved towards it. "So how was your trip?" She teased Max. 

"The flight was okay, but the service is lousy." Max was gritting her teeth against the pain. "Although this steward here with the glasses was incredibly friendly." She tried to make light of the situation. "Joshua. Are you okay?" She had been worried that her canine friend was starting to look a little green from the flight. 

"Joshua fine. More worried about little fella." He patted her head incredibly gently. Joshua had been as shocked as the others to see Max in such a fragile state. "Time to get out?" 

Krit appeared beside Jondy with Asha behind him. "Yeah, Joshua. It's time to get out. Want to help me with the stretcher again?" He kept himself busy to avoid showing how aggravated he was at Asha's presence. "Sorry, Sis, she insisted on coming to make sure I didn't damage the helicopter. At least that's why she says she's here," he whispered so that only his siblings could hear the reason for Asha's presence. 

"Don't worry about it." Jondy led the way to the room she and Bling had set up for Max. "Alec phoned to say he's bringing Original Cindy here for a day or two. We'll leave them to deal with Asha." 

Bling, Jondy, Krit and Joshua carefully moved Max from the stretcher onto the waiting bed. Logan stood aside, worried that he might be in the way. Asha frowned at the fogged up windows. "Is it really humid in this room or something?" It was strange, she didn't feel as if the air was humid. 

Logan looked to see what Asha was talking about. "Oh, hell. When did that start, Jondy?" He knew it couldn't be Max as they had been through this last month. After two days alone with Max in heat, Logan had barely been able to walk for the next day and a half. 

"This morning." Jondy knew the timing was bad, but this wasn't something she had control of. "Leeza!" She called to the Swiss girl she had adopted. "Could you please take everyone to the living room for coffee and something to eat, while I check Max over." 

The pretty Swiss girl smiled and nodded. "Come this way, please." Her English was perfect. 

Asha could not believe the incredible set up Jondy had. She followed Leeza to a huge room where eleven other girls sat looking after Jondy's twins and doing their homework. Asha had never felt as out of place as she did when the girls looked up at their visitors and beamed. With cries of Uncle Logan, Uncle Krit, Uncle Joshua, and Uncle Bling, each of the girls rushed forward to hug the men. As the girls had only just arrived home from school ten minutes earlier, Belinda had been the only one to see Bling. 

Julia Saunders walked into the room and smiled at the happy chaos. Seeing Asha looking so left out, she walked over to hold out her hand. "Hello, I'm Julia." 

Asha smiled gratefully. "Hi, I'm Asha." She knew from what Logan had let slip that Julia was Devon's mother. She had imagined that Julia's reaction would be the same as the X5s, so it surprised her that Julia was being so friendly. 

"Nice to meet you, Asha." Julia could see that Jondy had been right about Asha. The blond was obviously there for Logan's sake and not Max's. She had noticed the looks Asha had been giving Logan as she watched silently from the doorway, before announcing her presence. "Girls! Finish your homework please. There will be plenty of time to catch up with your Uncles later." 

Despite a lot of groans, the girls did as they were told. By the time Jondy entered the room, all of the adults had been served coffee and sandwiches. Jondy sank down into a chair beside her brother. She was pleased to see her mother in law was keeping Asha busy and away from Logan. 

"How's Max doing?" Logan hated being away from Max, but Jondy had needed the space to concentrate on her sister's condition and not on the nearest male. 

"The good news is that Max will fully recover." Jondy focused her attention on Krit. Being her brother, she seemed to be able to control her wondering gaze with him. "The bad news is, it's going to take a while and it's certainly not going to be easy. The hardest part will be keeping Max from giving up." 

Krit could read between the lines with what his sister was saying. "So the smallest sign of improvement gets a cheerleading squads amount of encouragement." 

"You got it." Jondy noticed her twins were starting to get grisserly, which usually meant they were hungry. "Alec should be here in an hour or so, I'm betting he's going to be the one who'll get Max out of that bed." 

Logan couldn't help but feel hurt. "What makes you say that?" He watched Jondy pick up her twins with no trouble, as though she had been a mother for longer than seven months. 

Jondy responded tongue in cheek. "Because he bugs the hell out of her. She'd get out of that bed, if only to kick his butt for him." She hadn't missed the look that had crossed Logan's face. "This isn't about you, Logan. It's about what's best for Max. Right now Max is feeling really scared and pretty damn useless. That's the frame of mind we have to break her out of. While I don't doubt that you will be the head of her cheering squad, you are also a reminder of what she can't do at the moment." 

"Can I go in and see her?" Logan was pretty useless himself at the moment. He had to stop himself from running to Max when Jondy nodded her consent. He walked over and sat beside Max's bed. When he looked down at her pretty face, Logan saw such sorrow and pain. 

"Jondy told you about the baby didn't she?" When a single tear ran down her cheek, he felt as though someone had stabbed him in the gut. 

"It's alright, Max. There's plenty of time for us to start a family. We can even adopt when the time is right for both of us." 

"Or you could just find someone who can actually give you children." Max felt so broken, not just because of her injuries. She literally felt as though she had been torn in two. "I hear Asha's still here. She's certainly interested in you. Anyone would have to be blind not to see that." 

"Why would she want your cast offs when she can have me." Alec had been standing outside the doorway listening. There was nothing going on between him and Asha, but if it stopped Max feeling sorry for herself, then he would con her into thinking there was. "Thought you might like to know that White's searching the hospitals all over the country for you, Max." 

"Just as well we didn't move Max to a hospital then, isn't it?" Logan resented Alec's interruption. "Alec, can you give us a minute? Maybe Jondy needs some help with the twins." 

Alec shrugged his shoulders. "No problem. Original Cindy's with Jondy at the moment. Maybe Asha wants come company." He walked out of the room in search of the blond. 

Logan turned back to Max. "Don't think for a minute that I love you any less just because you can't have children." His voice had grown harsh with the need to convince her of his love. "You are going to get better and get out of this bed so that we can have the Disney ending. I am not loosing you again, Max." He got up and walked out of the room leaving her to think about what he had just said. 

"Well done." Jondy's voice startled him. "Let's just hope Max actually listened. Why don't you try and get some sleep. I made the room next door up for you." Jondy would get Original Cindy to sit with Max for a while. She had thought about asking Alec, but he was too busy teasing Asha about Logan. 

Original Cindy pulled Jondy aside later that night. "So what's the dealio with my Boo? She looks as though someone told her, her dog just died. Logan doesn't look much better." 

Jondy gathered all the adults together except Logan, who hadn't slept for three days and was now fast asleep in his room. "I told Max that she had lost the baby she had been carrying and unfortunately due to her injuries, she can no longer have children. Right now Max is feeling that she isn't a whole woman. If she doesn't snap out of it, we are going to have one hell of a battle on our hands." 

Krit cursed under his breath. "Please tell me you have some good news, sis." Max had been through a lot, but Krit wasn't ready to let his sister give up everything she had fought so long to get. 

Jondy rubbed the back of her neck. "Max can wiggle her fingers and toes a little. If we can get her back to her usual fighting form, she should have movement in her hands and feet by next week. I think the hardest part will be stopping her from giving up." 

"What can I do to help?" Asha had nothing against Max other than envying the fact that Logan would walk over broken glass for the brunette, when Asha was lucky if he gave her the time of day. She could see Krit and Jondy still didn't trust her. In fact she was surprised to even be included in the current discussion. 

Original Cindy shared the X5 siblings opinion of Asha, but as far as she could see, they needed as much help as they could get. "We need to get rid of that big bird on the roof before it gets spotted." 

Krit nodded. "I'll take the helicopter back after dinner. I should be back here by morning. Give me time to get a couple of hours sleep, then I can give you a hand with whatever you need Jondy." 

"We'll take shifts." Jondy saw that she had managed to fog up the living room windows and Bling was looking far too appealing to her at the moment. "Alec keep being your irritating self. If Max will fight with you, then she just might fight to get her life back. Bling, you take the first shift while I teach Joshua everything he needs to know. Julia and Kera, I'll need your help with the girls and the twins a bit more than I usually do. Cindy, can you keep an eye on Logan? See if you can get him to take his frustrations out on the punching bag in the gym. One of the girls will show you where it is." She turned to Asha. "You're going to give an award winning performance of being head over heels for Alec." 

"Hey." Alec tried to sound insulted. "Most women find me irresistible." He could see Asha blushing out of the corner of his eye. 

Original Cindy rolled her eyes at him. "Well, then, Asha won't have to try too hard, will she?" She actually had a feeling that Asha was growing to enjoy Alec's company more than Logan's these days. 

Julia rose from her seat. "Since that's agreed on, I'll get dinner started." Watching Jondy over the past few months, Julia had found a new appreciation as to why her son had adored Jondy so much. The petite redhead would never give up helping someone in need. 

Over the next couple of weeks Alec, Asha, and Original Cindy alternated between Seattle and San Francisco so that their absences from work went unnoticed and didn't alert any unwanted attention. Max made limited progress and continued to push Logan away. Logan spent more and more time in the gym and Jondy was worried about the health of both Logan and Max. 

Sitting with Krit, Joshua, and Bling on the roof of the hotel, Jondy decided there was only one thing they could do to help Max and Logan. "I'm sending Logan home. He's making himself ill and the only thing Max is focusing on is pushing him away." 

Bling raised his eyebrow. "It's going to be a battle getting Logan to leave Max, even if it is for the good of both of them." He started running possible excuses for Logan to return to Seattle through his head. "Still, if 'Eyes Only' doesn't make a broadcast soon, people will start wondering if he's dead or Logan." 

Krit could have happily throttled Max for throwing her happiness away. "If that doesn't work, I can always knock Logan out and drive him back to Seattle." He reached out and rubbed Jondy's shoulders. He was starting to worry about her, too. If she wasn't looking after Max and her children, then she was working at the bar. Despite not needing much sleep, Jondy was exhausted. 

Joshua watched Jondy for a moment. "Jondy needs to rest before she gets sick, too. Joshua will look after little fella tonight." He patted Jondy gently on the head. 

Jondy smiled up at him. "Thanks, Joshua. I think I'll take you up on that offer. Alec and Asha will be here in the morning, so we'll have some extra help." She said good night and went to her room. 

"Nobody disappears into thin air." White was turning red with rage. "Somebody has seen them. For God's sake X5-452 was removed from the hospital in a helicopter. So where is it? Where is the pilot? She needs nurses, a Doctor. Where did they come from? Did you even get a description of her friends or the guy posing as her husband?" 

Captain Grant shook his head calmly. "No, sir. It seems they were aware that they were being watched and took great efforts to hide their faces from the security cameras. No staff except for the one doctor were allowed near X5-452's room. When questioned Dr. Carr said he really wasn't paying any attention to the husband or the friends. He was told his patient was being taken to a private hospital and all of the paperwork was correct, therefore Dr. Carr saw no reason to question the transfer." 

White couldn't believe the X5s kept slipping under his radar. Every dragnet he set up, they found a hole to escape through. They were worthless transgenic freaks. That they had time and time again outsmarted him was incomprehensible. "Keep your eyes open. They'll slip up. All we have to do is be ready when they do." 

"Yes, Sir." Captain Grant seriously doubted the X5s would slip up. The X5 that White was so obsessed with had been designed to be noticed. Seeing as it had been impossible to find her, she obviously did not want to be found. "With all due respect, Sir, isn't it usually a sign of trouble when X5-210 is sighted?" 

White knew that Grant had a good point. X5-210 had been created to distract the enemy and she did it well. Unable to answer the Captain's question honestly, White turned and stormed out of the room. 

"I'm not leaving her." Logan bellowed at Jondy from across the room. He couldn't believe that she had told him to go home for Max's sake. 

"You are not helping Max in this state." Jondy gestured to Logan's appearance. He was beginning to look the way he had when he had thought Max was dead. "You need to go home. Catch up on the work for 'Eyes Only'. Hell. Catch up on some sleep." She was talking calmly to Logan so that she didn't wake any of the children, but her nerves were run ragged and she was fast loosing patience. 

"I'm fine." Logan refused to admit how exhausted he was. Most of the time he kept his focus on Max. So much so that he hadn't noticed that Jondy had come home from work holding her side. "I need to be here." He almost pleaded with her. 

"You need to go home." Jondy's ribs were killing her. She had broken up a fight at the bar, only to be slammed into a brick wall by an overweight, interfering drunk while throwing a troublemaker out of the bar. "Max isn't recovering as she should be. She feels that she is holding you back from having a normal life. You being here and turning your back on your entire life is just proving her right." Jondy's voice was slowing growing louder and louder. 

Logan had never heard Jondy raise her voice in anger. It was a sure sign that he would have to leave or be thrown out. "How about we reach a compromise? Let me back on the weekends." 

Jondy couldn't be bothered battling with Logan, she was having enough trouble with Max. "I don't want to see you before lunchtime Friday and you have to be gone by 2pm Sunday. If I see you outside of those times I will change my mind and ban you permanently." 

Logan hugged the tiny redhead. "Thank you." The next day was Sunday, he knew without Jondy telling him that he had to be gone by 2pm. The compromise would start tomorrow. 

Jondy freed herself from Logan's painful grasp. "You're welcome. Now go and get some sleep and I'd stay clear of the living room for the moment. I was just in there and found Asha and Alec making out on my sofa." 

Max felt guilty with relief when Krit told her that Jondy was sending Logan home. "Maybe he can get something started with Asha now." 

Krit gave her an irritated huff. "Don't be stupid, Maxie. He doesn't give a damn about Asha. Besides, she and Alec were in the middle of something on the sofa last night when Original Cindy and I went to find the twins' bottles." 

He felt sorry for Logan. He knew how much the poor guy loved his sister. Krit had taped up Jondy's ribs for her after she had finished yelling at Logan last night. She had told Krit about the compromise they had reached, but it had left both Jondy and Krit wanting to throttle their sister for being so selfish. 

"Wow." Max was amazed. "I didn't realize they were serious. Still Logan will find someone else." She missed Logan already and he hadn't even left yet. Alec and Original Cindy were going to drive him back to Seattle. 

Krit shook his head at her. "God, Max. You never used to be this selfish." He stormed out of the room leaving Max with a shocked look on her face. He went in search of Jondy to see how she was feeling this morning. 

Up on the roof Krit found Alec telling Bling, Jondy, Joshua, and Original Cindy about the happenings of the night before. Krit sat silently beside his sister. 

"So I look up to see what the noise is and there's Ashley, Mya, Celeste and Heidi watching us." Alec explained. "Then Celeste asks me if Asha was alright, seeing as I was giving her CPR." Alec actually looked highly embarrassed. "So I told them we were rehearsing a play and Ashley suggested we rehearse in one of the bedrooms before the other girls decided to come and collect their school bags." 

Bling chuckled. "So how did your rehearsal go?" He, himself, had stumbled on Asha and Alec earlier on in the evening. 

"Considering Blondie is still asleep in bed," Original Cindy offered. "I'd say rehearsal went on into the early hours of this morning." She was just happy that Asha wasn't still checking out her Boo's main squeeze. 

Joshua noticed that Krit was strangely quiet this morning. "Krit alright?" He tried not to jostle Jondy, who was sitting leaned against him. "Too quiet. Is something wrong with little fella?" 

Jondy knew what was bothering Krit. "I gather our sister is still feeling sorry for herself." 

Krit nodded. "She's trying to hide behind a noble gesture of not wanting to hold Logan back. The truth is she's scared that she won't ever be 100% again and she has no idea how to live that way." He was so angry. "Max didn't even notice that Jondy has been hurt. She's too wrapped up in her own self-pity. Jondy's been to hell and back over the past year, but you don't see her sitting around feeling sorry for herself and pushing everyone away." 

Jondy reached out and squeezed her brother's hand. "I didn't loose the movement in most of my body though. It's tough being Superwoman one minute and powerless the next, not to mention the serious dent she's been dealt with to her ego. That's quite a lot to deal with." 

"How can you be so reasonable all the time?" Original Cindy wondered how Jondy did it. Even though the redhead had super human powers, it was still a lot to take on, nursing her sister and being a mother to fourteen children. 

Jondy smiled. "I got a call from Zane. He's coming to visit, so I asked him to pick a parcel up from Seattle on the way through. One way or another, Max is going to be out of that bed by the end of next week." 

"Then Max and Logan can get busy again." Joshua announced. It all made perfect sense to him. As far as he was concerned, Max and Logan were meant to be together. 

"That might take a bit longer, Josh." Alec wished life was as simple as Joshua saw it to be. "Jondy can only perform so many miracles." 

Bling had a feeling that Jondy had a plan to make everything right and somehow Zane was part of that plan. "When do you expect Zane?" 

"Tomorrow morning." Jondy hoped her idea worked. "Who knows, maybe Zane being here might change Max's attitude and I won't need to use the parcel." 

"Are you going to have enough help here?" Alec asked. "Asha's coming back with Cindy and me, but I can probably talk Normal into giving me some time off if you need the extra help." 

Jondy was touched at Alec's offer. "We should be fine. Thanks anyway. Syl offered to visit sometime this week, so I have an extra two pairs of hands arriving." 

Original Cindy looked at her watch and nudged Alec. "You'd better get sleeping beauty up cause we have to leave in ten minutes. Don't want Logan to miss his curfew." She hugged Jondy goodbye gently. "You know who to call if you need a babysitter." She was referring more to Max than the children. 

Alec kissed Jondy on the cheek. "See ya, sis. We'll be back by Friday. Good luck with Max." 

"Thanks. I have a feeling I'm going to need it." Jondy as always had a back up plan if the original one didn't work. "Be careful. Have a safe trip home." 

Logan stood in the middle of his apartment. It seemed so empty without Max there. Not since Max had died in his arms outside of Manticore, had he felt so alone. Max had become so much a part of his life that he had no idea how to get through the day, never mind the night without her. 

Logan flicked through his mail to keep himself busy. Several bills had accumulated while he had been in San Francisco, a postcard from his cousin Bennet and a letter with familiar handwriting. Ripping open the envelope, he read quickly through the letter. 

_Logan,_

Just letting you know the South Africans are getting suspicious. It seems they are in contact with someone by the name of Ames White. It would appear that he has a personal interest in one of your girls. Best tell them to lay low for a while, I know that's what I'm going to do.

Take Care  
Blake

PS. Mathew turned up in Los Angeles. Dead. 

Logan read the letter a second time. White was getting too close, but maybe Logan could get it to work in Jondy's favor. Switching on his computer he quickly checked his emails and then opened up an almost unused program. Scanning a photo he had taken of Max, Jondy, Syl, Zane and Krit, Logan changed the background to that of Arizona. 

Once Logan was satisfied with his work on the photo, he printed it out. Now all he had to do was locate White and get the photo to him. He also wanted to relocate Blake. His friend had put himself in danger to protect Jondy and Devon. Logan felt he owed his friend. 

A knock at the apartment door surprised Logan. Who would be visiting at this time of night? Cautiously opening the door, Logan came face to face with Blake. "Hey. I was just about to try and contact you. Are you alright?" He waved his friend into the apartment. 

Blake nodded. He looked a little shell-shocked. When he had last seen Logan, his friend had been in a wheelchair. "Yeah, I'm fine. How are the girls?" He hadn't missed the rather obvious absence of the two X5 women. 

Logan ran his hand nervously through his hair. "Not too good. Ames White ran over Max in a pick up truck. She's being nursed back to health by Jondy in San Francisco. Devon was killed about a year ago so the South Africans can stop looking for him. Unfortunately that means that both White and the South Africans will be looking for Jondy." 

"Wow. A lot had happened since I last saw you." Blake was starting to get a better idea of how dangerous Ames White really was. "What's the deal with this guy White anyway?" 

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not really sure. He's pretty obsessed with Jondy, which we think is why he ran over Max. Ordinarily he would have tried to kill her, not just injure her. The problem is he's not completely human. We're not sure what he is. It's a pretty safe bet we had better get you out of Seattle and somewhere safer. White will kill anyone he thinks is connected to the X5's." 

"Hey, you'll get no argument from me. I've seen this guy, White in action." Blake shook his head as he remembered. "Matthew never had a chance. He should never have tried to bargain with White." 

Logan was appalled. "It was White that killed Matthew? It appears if he can't have Jondy, then he's going to make sure nobody can. I'm guessing Jondy is what Matthew tried to use as a bargaining chip." 

Blake nodded. "Matthew made the mistake of bragging that he and Jondy had got real close on a number of occasions. He forgot to mention that she always kept her clothes on. Next thing he knew, White had pulled out a gun and fired it. White didn't even blink. He just called one of his men to clean up the mess." 

"You know where White is based?" Logan asked. 

"Yeah." Blake's eyes narrowed. "You're not going after him are you? Logan, that's suicide." 

Logan shook his head. "No, I'm just going to mail him a photo. See if I can keep him far away from Max and Jondy." He held the photo up with a pair of tweezers so that there were no fingerprints left on it. 

Blake chuckled. "Great photo. Might want to print another copy and frame it." He grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled an address down. "Be careful. White plays for keeps." 

Logan handed his friend an envelope. "I've noticed. Here's a new identity, passport, sector passes and the address of a safe house. Thanks for your help with the South Africans." He shook his friend's hand. "Take care." 

Blake grinned. "You, too. Say hi to the ladies for me." He peered cautiously out of the door before leaving. 

Logan was once again left in the empty apartment. It seemed like an eternity until Friday. Making up his mind, not to waste his time feeling sorry for himself, Logan threw himself into his 'Eyes Only' work. 

Zane stood silently in the doorway of his sister's living room. An old Toni Braxton song from the early 2000's floated through the room. It was always a sure sign that Jondy had, had a tough night when this particular song was playing. He remembered Jondy telling him that it helped her work all the kinks out of her body moving to it. 

He waited for the song to finish before announcing his presence, though he knew Jondy already knew that he was there. "Morning, baby sister. Your parcel has been dropped off in one piece." Zane hugged his sister. "So how's Maxie doing?" 

Jondy headed towards Max's room knowing Zane would follow her. "Not as well as she should be. The bones are mending, but she's just given up. I even had to send Logan home because she gave up on him as well. Where did you put the parcel?" 

Zane frowned slightly. "Holly showed me the room you had set up, so it's in there. Those girls of yours are growing so fast." 

Jondy beamed with pride. "I know. I'll leave you with Max while I check on the condition of the parcel. How bad a state was it in when you picked it up?" She looked over her shoulder at her brother. 

"Not too bad." Zane nudged his sister. "But then, I'm no doctor." He peered into the room that Jondy had stopped in front of. "Time to get Maxie back on her feet, right?" 

"Right." Jondy waited for Zane to enter the room before letting a more serious expression cross her lovely face. "I hope this works." She muttered under her breath. She entered another room and closed the door behind her. 

Standing by the window, the so-called parcel turned to face her. "I see Zane kept his promise and delivered you in one piece." 

Donald Lydecker took in the sight before him. She still looked like an innocent to him, despite everything he knew she had been through and everything he knew she was capable of. "Your brother would never break his word to you." He watched cautiously as she crossed the room and took hold of his injured hands to exam them. "I take it, you had a reason for bringing me here blindfolded. I seriously doubt it was to check on my health." 

Jondy met his gaze, her eyes like blue steel. "You're going to help me get my sister back into shape. Think of it as a payback to White for leaving you for dead." 

Lydecker had a feeling that he would regret it if he said no. "When do I start?" 

_The End_


	19. Cats Always Land on Their Feet

**"Cats Always Land on Their Feet"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Ethan Nicks and Leon however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

Max finds herself rushing back to Seattle when she finds out Logan is ill.

**Timeframe:**

Occurs somewhere in season 2.

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

The gloomy night sky stretched out over the cloudy water with only the full moon for light. Leon shifted from one foot to the other in the cold, impatient to get the meeting over with, so that he could go home where it was warmer. He had the unsettling feeling that he was being watched, but dismissed it as paranoia. Nobody knew what he had done except Ethan Nicks and he was the one paying him for a job well done. 

The sound of footsteps on the wet docks made Leon antsy. Turning slowly around, he had expected to see Ethan, but instead found himself face to face with Ames White. "Where's Ethan?" Leon had never been introduced to the man before him, but he knew him by reputation. This was a man to be feared. Even Ethan, who usually feared nothing, was nervous whenever Ames White was mentioned. 

"He went for a swim." White kept his face expressionless. "No need to concern yourself, Leon, I have your payment." He reached into his inside pocket as Ethan's body floated past the dock. 

Leon's eyes widened with fear as he saw the blue tinged body float gracefully in the water. As he whirled back to face White, he felt a burning sensation in his chest. He hadn't even heard the sound of the gun firing. Leon still had an astonished look on his face when his body hit the water beside Ethan's. 

"Paid in full," White quipped as he cast an annoyed look up at the sky when rain started to fall. "Typical." He walked calmly back to his car. Another night, another loose end tied up. 

Logan smiled smugly to himself. He had the whole thing on tape, including the well-timed body of Ethan Nicks floating into the scene. He waited until White's car had completely disappeared from sight before phoning Matt Sung to inform him of the two corpses floating by the dock. Soaked to the skin, Logan headed back to his car. He had been out at the docks every night that week in the rain, trying to get evidence on tape. The first signs of a cold began yesterday and tonight his throat was sore, his nose was running and he had a terrible headache. 

Once back in his apartment, Logan set everything up to make a broadcast. He wanted all of his 'Eyes Only' work cleared away before he went to San Francisco tomorrow with Original Cindy. He dragged his shirtsleeve across his sweating forehead. "Not now. I can't get sick now," he muttered to himself. Max was still turning him away when he came to visit, but Logan was not giving up. She was too important to him. 

He had been amazed at Max's progress in the first week that Jondy had sent him back to Seattle. Logan's jaw had nearly hit the floor when he found out that Jondy had sent Zane to pick up Lydecker and bring him to San Francisco to help with Max. The X5 siblings were taking turns visiting San Francisco partly to help Jondy nurse Max and partly to keep an eye on Lydecker. Logan wondered if there would ever come a time when the X5s could trust their former commander. Somehow Logan figured hell would freeze over first. 

Max grunted at the ache in her body as she finished another set of pushups. In some cases her sister was a tougher taskmaster than Lydecker. "Can I stop yet?" She saw her sister turn from the monitor that she was watching. "I'll lose the feeling in my wrists if I do anymore." 

Jondy nodded. "Sure. You've done enough for today. Besides, Joshua made you lunch and he's so proud of himself that he's going to burst if you don't go and eat it soon." 

Max giggled. "You let him lose in your kitchen? You're getting soft, Jondy." She frowned when she saw how serious her sister's face was. She had been like this since they had seen the 'Eyes Only' broadcast last night. "What's wrong?" Although she would never admit it, Max missed Logan. Seeing the broadcast last night left her feeling as though someone had ripped out her heart. It had been her choice and she still felt that Logan should be with someone more normal. Every weekend he turned up with Alec or Original Cindy and Max pushed him away. Anyone else would have given up on her by now. 

"Nothing." Jondy twirled a strand of red hair around her index finger, a sure sign that she was deep in thought. "I've asked Bling to go back with Logan on Sunday. He can let us know how things are going in Seattle." The 'Eyes Only' image that stared at them from the television last night concerned her. She had voiced her concerns to Bling later, who agreed that what they could see of Logan's face, looked ill. 

"You kicking me out soon?" Max joked. She turned serious. "I was thinking, maybe it's about time I left Seattle and moved somewhere out of White's radar." If she went back to Seattle, she would want to see Logan and that wasn't fair to him. 

Jondy saw straight through Max. "I'm not giving you permission to run away from your self imposed problems." She rose from her seat and stormed out of the room past Lydecker, who was standing in the doorway. 

Max got up from where she had been sitting on the floor. "What was Manticore's reason for giving Jondy a temper to match her hair?" She walked stiffly to the door. 

"Manticore didn't give her that." Lydecker smiled slightly. "That's something your sister got all by herself." He watched two of the adopted girls carry Jondy's twins into the living room. "There goes a miracle if I ever saw one." 

Max scowled at him. "Every baby's a miracle." As she moved past him, Max felt his hand on her arm, stopping her. 

Lydecker shook his head. "Your sister sustained internal injuries at Manticore as a child that left her unable to have children." He let go of her arm. "Those twins really are a miracle." He left Max pondering what he had just said. 

Original Cindy frowned as she banged on Logan's apartment door a third time. That was strange, he usually opened it on the first knock, even if he was on the phone. "Logan? You in there?" She knew he wouldn't have forgotten they were traveling to San Francisco today. Puzzled by Logan's absence, Original Cindy took the cell phone Max had lent her out of her pocket and dialed Jondy's phone number. She recognized Syl's voice as soon as she answered the phone. "Syl, it's Original Cindy. Let me speak to Doctor Boo, will ya?" 

"I'll have to put you on speaker. She's got her hands full." Syl chuckled as she watched as her sister balanced the twins on her knees and bandaged one of the adopted girl's knees. 

"Hey Cindy. What's up?" Jondy was sitting next to the phone so she didn't have to yell. "I thought you were picking Logan up." 

"I'm at his apartment now. He's not opening the door, but I'm pretty sure he's in there. His car's still downstairs." Cindy knew Logan well enough to know he would never pass a chance to see Max up. 

Jondy heard Max come into the room from behind her. "Here's what I need you to do Cindy. Try the door and see if Logan left it open, otherwise I'm going to have to give you a step by step instruction on the art of breaking and entering." 

Max held her breath as she heard Original Cindy over the phone. Something was wrong with Logan, she could feel it. 

"It's open. Hang on, I'll see if I can find him." Cindy walked into the apartment and started searching for Logan. She hadn't gone any further than the living room before she found him laying on the floor semi conscious. "I've found him but he don't look good, Boo." She knelt down beside him and put her hand on his forehead. "He's burning up and he looks pretty out of it." 

"He's got Sam Carr on speed dial." Jondy started pacing with the twins in her arms. "Ask Logan what number Sam is on the phone. With any luck he's with it enough to remember." She had a feeling Logan had purposely left the door unlocked, knowing that Cindy would be there soon to pick him up. 

They could hear some muttering in the background for a few minutes before Cindy came back on the cell phone. "Ok Boo, he's on his way. He doesn't think it's safe for Logan to be brought into the hospital. I guess White's still asking questions. Is there anything I can do while we wait." 

"Yeah. Go into one of the bedrooms and get a blanket." Jondy could see that everyone in the room was worried about Logan. "You need to keep him warm." She had a fair idea by the way Original Cindy had found Logan so fast, that he had to be in the living room. 

"Ok. I'll phone you back, Boo, once Sam's been here." Original Cindy said goodbye and hung up the phone. "You stay with me, Logan. I don't care if Max knows it or not, she needs you." She fetched a blanket and covered Logan up before sitting down beside him. This was a side of Logan that Cindy had never seen. She had become used to seeing Logan go to Max's rescue or fighting the good fight by her side. The side Cindy missed seeing the most, was the one where Max and Logan were happy together. 

Jondy listened to Max's footsteps creeping out of the room. "Where do you think you're going?" She knew instinctively the moment they heard that something was wrong with Logan, that Max would forget all of her previous protests and go to him. 

Max knew she couldn't get anything past Jondy. "I'm going to Seattle to see if I can help." Logan needed her. Suddenly she was scared to death of losing him. 

"That's a bit unfair to Logan, isn't it?" Jondy perched herself on the arm of the sofa next to where Syl was sitting. "You can't just turn up and nurse him back to health and then push him away once he gets better." 

"I'm going." Max stalked out of the room and went to pack a bag. So determined to get to Logan was she, that she missed the triumphant smile that passed between Jondy and Syl. 

"Think it'll work?" Syl took one of the twins off of Jondy. She knew her sister would not give up until she got Max and Logan back together. 

"Well, Lydecker dropped a piece of information in her lap this morning." Jondy stared at the empty doorway. "Providing Logan's condition isn't life threatening, this might just be the push in the right direction that Max needed." 

Five minutes later Max and Bling were heading back to Seattle. Max was scared. She didn't want to hold Logan back from having a normal life with a normal wife and kids, but the thought of losing him was even stronger. This was going to be the longest trip back to Seattle she had ever taken. 

Sam walked out of Logan's bedroom, where he and Original Cindy had moved a now unconscious Logan. "He doesn't appear to have sustained any head injuries but he has a bad case of pneumonia. I've hooked him up to an I.V and you need to keep him warm. We need to get his temperature down and don't be surprised if he gets delirious." Sam stopped to take a breath. "Is there anyone you can call to help you out here? I'd like to stay but my staff are still being asked a lot of questions about a certain patient that went missing a couple of months ago." 

Cindy nodded. "Jessica phoned me a couple of minutes ago. Bling is on his way back. I should be able to manage with his help." 

Sam risked asking the question he had been wondering since Max's planned disappearance. "How's Max doing?" 

"Good in some ways, bad in others." Cindy replied. "She's moving around with a little help, but she's determined that Logan needs to find someone else." 

Sam glanced towards Logan's room. "That happens sometimes when a woman loses a baby. He's not giving up though, is he?" Sam had never seen Logan as happy as he was when he was with Max. 

Original Cindy chuckled. "No, he isn't. The problem is, they're both as stubborn as each other. It's like watching somebody repeatedly drive into a brick wall." 

"Logan's always been like that." Sam wrote a list for Bling when he arrived. "At least ever since I've known him anyway. I'd better get going. Can you give this to Bling when he arrives." 

Original Cindy took the list from Sam. "Sure thing, Boo." She walked the doctor to the door and went to get herself a cup of coffee. She had a while to wait before Bling would get there. Not knowing what else she could really do to help, Cindy sat beside Logan's bed to make sure he didn't kick the blanket off. 

Logan started to murmur in his sleep, but never woke up. His murmuring became louder and clearer. "Max. Max." 

Original Cindy lay her hand gently on his shoulder. "It's alright, Boo. She's safe with Jondy. You just rest." She was a little surprised when her words seem to work and Logan calmed down. 

Max waited impatiently for the lift to reach Logan's floor. Ordinarily, she would have just sprinted up the stairs, but she hadn't fully recovered from her own injuries. Her movements were still stiff and mechanical instead of smooth and flowing. She looked up at the light above the door indicating what floor they were on, willing it to go faster. 

Bling watched Max silently. He would never understand why Max and Logan fought so hard against the obvious attraction that was between them. He knew that Logan wasn't concerned that Max couldn't have his children. In fact Logan hadn't even been sure that he could father a child, until he had found out Max had lost their baby. Bling had brought the subject up with Logan one night when Max had been away visiting Jondy. Logan had told him due to the gunshot injury and the medication Jondy had used to get him walking again, there was a strong possibility he may not be able to father a child. He had gone on to mention if sometime in the future Max actually wanted children, they could always adopt, but it was too early in their relationship to even bring the subject up. 

Bling had thought of telling Max about that conversation when she first started pushing Logan away. Since Logan hadn't brought it up himself, Bling had decided to remain silent. It had been tough though. Watching Zane, Jondy and Lydecker bully Max into getting to her feet had been a battle in which he could assist. Getting Max to accept that Logan loved her no matter what was a whole other battle that they had yet to win. 

Finally the lift reached Logan's floor. Max barely let the lift doors open before she ran out and picked the lock letting herself into Logan's apartment. She correctly guessed that Logan had been moved to his bedroom and raced in there to find Original Cindy sitting on the floor beside his bed. "How is he?" She spoke to Cindy but couldn't take her eyes off of Logan's pale face. 

"Not too good, Boo." Original Cindy managed to hide the grin that was threatening to spill over her face at Max's presence. "The doc says he has pneumonia. Your boy's been calling for you, Sugar. Of course the doc did say he could be delirious though." She gestured with her head to Bling before walking out of the room so that Max could be alone with Logan. 

Max stood at the end of Logan's bed for a moment watching him. It terrified her to see him this ill. Kicking off her shoes she crawled up the bed and cuddled up to Logan, making sure the sheets wee pulled up around his chest. Watching that she didn't upset the I.V sticking out of his arm, Max lay her head on his chest and closed her eyes. 

Original Cindy handed Bling the list Sam had left for him and peered back into Logan's room. "How did you get Sister Girl to come back with you? The way she was speaking on the phone yesterday, I expected her to be packing her bags for Canada." 

Bling chuckled. "She was in the room when Jondy was speaking to you on the phone. When Max said she was coming back to Seattle, Jondy told her she couldn't go. Even threw in a mini lecture about how cruel it would be to Logan." 

Cindy grinned. "Which made Max even more determined to come back." The grin fell from her face. "What happens when Logan gets better?" 

Bling shrugged his shoulders. "I guess that's entirely up to Max. I have a feeling Jondy will track her down and kick her genetically engineered ass if she does a runner though." 

Max tilted her head slightly so that she could see Logan's face. His eyes were open and he was looking at something beside the bed. Max tired to see what he was looking at, but saw nothing. "What is it Logan? What do you see?" 

Logan didn't hear Max's questions. He could see his mother sitting in a chair beside his bed as she used to when he was sick as a child. "Mom?" 

Max jerked upright when she heard what Logan had said. Cindy had warned her that Logan could become delirious, but it had still shocked her. 

"Mom, she's leaving me again." Logan had always felt he could tell his mother anything. "Somehow it's harder this time. I couldn't save her last time and she still found a way to come back to me. We made it through her death, the virus, the attack. Why can't we get through this?" 

His mother smiled with a quiet understanding. "Give her time and a little space, Logan. Max will realize that she needs you as much as you need her. The more you push, the more crowded she feels. You have to remember, Max isn't used to being loved. For somebody who's never had that before, it takes a while to adjust." She rose from the chair and kissed his fore head. "Get some sleep. Everything will seem clearer in the morning." 

Logan smiled up at her. "I love you, Mom." 

"I love you too, baby." Logan's mother slowly faded from sight. 

Logan closed his eyes and went back to sleep, completely unaware of Max sitting shocked beside him. His temperature was still high and he started to shiver despite the sweat pouring off of his burning skin. 

Max pulled another blanket out of the bedroom closet and covered Logan, tucking him in as though he were a child. Taking her place beside him on the bed again, Max gently stroked his forehead. "It's alright, Logan. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. You'd just better get well soon, cause you know I'm not real good at being patient." Even though Logan didn't respond to her words, Max felt that he could hear her. 

It grew dark and Max never left Logan's side. Bling came in to change the I.V bag and to check Logan's vitals but for the most part left Max to look after Logan. Original Cindy also stayed away unless bringing in Max something to eat or drink. 

Logan's temperature was still high, and when he actually woke up, he never seem to notice Max. It scared Max that he could see people that weren't there but he couldn't see her. 

"What do you mean you can't marry me, Daphne?" Logan's delusions began again. He could see Daphne standing before him, tears streaming down her face for the pain she was causing him. "Don't cry. You know I can't stand to see you cry. Of course we can still be friends." Daphne faded from sight just as his mother had. 

Max felt the tears start to flow as she heard Logan's mumbled words as he fell back asleep. "Why does everybody leave me?" She had pondered that same question herself so many times. 

"You alright, Boo?" Original Cindy's voice broke through Max's thoughts. 

"Yeah." Max dried her eyes on her shirt sleeve. "Just feeling sorry for myself again." She smile over at her friend. "It's a good job Zane isn't here, he'd be making me do crunches." 

Original Cindy perched on the edge of Logan's bed. "How's he doing?" He looked far too pale for Cindy's liking and according to Bling, Logan's temperature was not coming down. 

"He doesn't even know I'm here." Max took hold of Logan's hand. "He keeps talking to people who aren't even here." She realized Logan's clothes and sheets were soaked through. "Better get these sheets and his clothes changed. He's sweating so much, they're soaked." 

Bling walked in at that moment. "I've got the bath full of ice. Sam says to try and bring Logan's temperature down that way." 

"You help Bling with Logan while I change the bed, Boo." Original Cindy wanted Max out of the way so that she could update Jondy on what was going on. 

A moment later Max was sitting on the bathroom floor, stunned at Logan's latest ramblings. "Jondy told him, he might not be able to father a child? Why didn't he tell me?" 

Bling sat down beside her. "Because it wasn't a sure thing. Also you and Logan had never discussed having children and Logan didn't want to scare you away by bringing it up too soon. He figured you weren't so shallow that you would dump him if he couldn't father a child and if you wanted kids then the two of you could adopt." 

"Why didn't Jondy say something?" Max couldn't help but feel slightly jealous of her sister sharing a secret with Logan. "I used to think we could tell each other anything. Now I feel as though I don't even know her." 

Original Cindy was listening from the door way. "Boo, you're complaining about Sister Girl not telling you things that she'd sooner forget. As for Logan, it wasn't her place to tell you about that. You haven't exactly been in a listening mood just lately either." 

Max knew they were both right and looking back, there were times when Jondy had tried to tell her something. She had been too busy feeling sorry for herself to listen. "Is the ice working?" She nodded towards Logan. 

Bling checked Logan's temperature. "Yeah. Looks like it. Let's get him back to bed." Glancing down at his friend, he was pleased to see some color coming back into his face. 

Logan rolled onto his side coming into contact with the warm body beside him. "Oh, I'm having that dream again," he muttered to himself as he wrapped his arms around Max's sleeping body. "I love you, Max." 

"I love you too." Max snuggled closer. "Be careful you don't rip the I.V out of your arm." 

Logan frowned and opened his eyes. "Since when does this dream come with an I.V?" He looked down into Max's beautiful brown eyes. Leaning forward slightly he brushed his lips against hers. "God, I hope I'm not dreaming." 

"Does this dream usually come with an audience?" Max glanced over Logan's shoulder to see Bling and Original Cindy staring from the doorway. 

Logan squinted slightly as he followed her look. "How long have I been out?" He kept his arms around Max, frightened to let her go incase she ran. The last thing he remembered was sending a cable hack and then the following morning unlocking the apartment door for Original Cindy so that she could let herself in. 

"A few days." Bling shoved a thermometer in Logan's mouth. "You had us all pretty worried. Cindy phoned Jondy when you didn't answer the door and then phoned Same when she found you laying on the floor. Max came back with me to help Cindy look after you." 

Cindy sat down on the end of the bed. "Sam couldn't stay. White's still got people asking questions at the hospital. After seeing the 'Eyes Only' hack, I think White is probably laying low for a while." 

Logan waited for Bling to take the thermometer out of his mouth before he spoke. Looking down at Max he wondered if it was safe enough for her to be back in Seattle. "Are you alright?" 

Max nodded. "I'm getting there. You know I always land on my feet. Must have something to do with my feline D.N.A. It's you I'm worried about." He still looked too pale to her. 

Lagan gave her a tired smile. "I'll be fine. A while back someone gave me a blood transfusion laced with feline D.N.A. Looks like I always land on my feet as well." He wanted to get some sleep but he was scared if he closed his eyes, he would wake to find her gone. 

"Get some sleep." Max kissed his forehead. "We'll talk when you get better." Almost as though she could read his thoughts, she added. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise." 

With that Logan drifted off to sleep. For once it was a dreamless sleep that took over him. When he woke the I.V had been removed from his arm and the bed apart from himself was empty. Logan sat slowly feeling a little dizzy. It had all been a dream. He could still smell Max's perfume though. Logan stood and braced one hand to steady himself on the wall. His legs were a bit shaky as he made his way out of his room. 

"What the hell are you doing out of bed?" Max stopped mid push up when she saw Logan stagger out of his room, only wearing his boxers. "You're not well enough to be wondering around." She gracefully pulled herself upright. 

"I thought you were a dream." Logan realized how lame that sounded but he wasn't quite with it yet. "Where did Bling and Original Cindy go?" The apartment was so quiet that he was pretty sure it was just the two of them there. 

Max felt a twinge of guilt. Logan had thought she had left him again. She couldn't really blame him, especially after speaking to Jondy. "They went home. Jondy said I have to keep up my sadistic exercise program she set up or she'll tell Lydecker where to find me, so he can make sure I keep it up." 

Logan sat himself down on the sofa and chuckled. "That sister of yours can be a pain when she puts her mind to it. She always seemed so sweet," he joked. "What's she going to do with Lydecker?" 

Max sat down beside him and curled her legs under her body. "She's sending Lydecker and Joshua back with Alec and Asha." She looked Logan straight in the eye. "You found a way to strike back at White with that computer hack. You made yourself ill in the process." 

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "It didn't start out that way. Jondy would only allow me in San Francisco in the weekend, which left me here during the week in an empty apartment. A mother was looking for the person who had murdered her son and she felt the police were covering for someone. Following up leads kept me busy." He paused before looking at Max. "It stopped me thinking about how much I missed you. I didn't realize until I got the footage for the hack that White was even involved." 

"I'm sorry." Max looked down at her hands clenched in her lap. "I just wanted you to be able to have a normal life with a normal girlfriend and the possibility of kids somewhere along the line." She tried to stop the tears from falling but was unsuccessful. "You deserve better than a broken freak show." 

Logan tapped into what little strength he had at that moment and pulled Max into his arms. "I've had normal and you know how that turned out." He kissed the top of her head. "Don't you know by now how much I love you. Without you, I have nothing. God Max, as happy as I would have been to find out you were having my child, it's not the most important thing in the world to me. You are. I wish you could believe that." 

"I'm trying." Max had spent so many years thinking of herself as a freak from Manticore that it was hard to see herself through Logan's eyes. "I missed you too." She understood now, why her siblings had been so angry at her for pushing Logan away. Although Jondy yelling at her still surprised her. 

Logan watched the expressions that changed and flickered over Max's face. "What's wrong? What are you thinking?" For a moment he was worried she was going to change her mind and push him away again. 

Max smiled grimly. "When you last headed back to Seattle, Jondy blew up at me. She got so mad that Zane ended up carrying her out of the room. It kind of scared me cause Jondy has always been the shy, frightened one who you could count on as back up if you needed it. I guess I'd gotten used to the others telling me I was being selfish, but I never expected Jondy to get so mad. Then you got sick and became delirious and you started talking to your mother and Daphne and Jondy who weren't there, but you couldn't see me and I was real and sitting right beside you." 

Logan had been aware sometime during his delusional state that someone was watching over him. "I knew that you were there. I heard you when you spoke to me. I thought I was dreaming." It had seemed impossible that Max was by his side after she had spent so much time pushing him away. 

"Where do we go from here?" Max's voice sounded so small and uncertain. After the way she had been acting, she wouldn't have blamed Logan if he wanted nothing more to do with her. 

Logan took a deep breath. "How about I get us something to eat. As for us, we can take things slow. Just don't run away again. If you're scared or you feel that we're moving too fast, then just tell me. Believe or not, I will understand." 

Max smiled through her tears. "I know you will." The phone rang at that moment. Max hastily wiped her tears away and went to answer the phone. "Hey Jondy. Yeah he's much better. No, I haven't told him off from scaring everybody. Yes, I am keeping my exercises up." She grinned as she answered her sister's quick fire questions. "Yeah, we've decided to take it slow. Fine, you were right and I was wrong. Are you happy now?" Jondy's giggles echoed down the phone. "Gotta go, Sis, Logan's going to make lunch." 

Logan was relieved that he and Max had found some common ground. It didn't solve all of their problems, but it was a start. He waited for Max to hang up the phone before he spoke. "Should I expect a visit from Jondy in the next couple of days?" As fond as he was of the red headed X5, he wanted some time alone with Max. 

Max shook her head. "No. She wants to make sure that White's hiding out before chancing her luck setting foot in Seattle. Besides, she mentioned something about us needing some alone time." She reached down and took hold of Logan's hand, pulling him up from the sofa. "Come on. You said you'd feed me." 

White threw his coffee cup at the print out of the 'Eyes Only' emblem pinned to the wall. "Who the hell are you?" He cursed himself for not being more careful. It was pure luck that his son, Ray, hadn't seen the broadcast. "Who ever you are Eyes Only, you're not going to get a second chance to make a fool of me. Your days are numbered." He sat in silence, glaring at the blue eyes that stared at him from the printout. 

_The End_


	20. The Sandeman Cometh

**"The Sandeman Cometh"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Edward, Stan, Blake, Regis and Mathew however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

Jondy goes missing after sending Max a 911 signal over her cell phone. But everyone gets more than they bargined when they find her. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs after "Proof Of Purchase".

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

The rain pelted down on her fragile looking, but toned body. Her running footsteps barely made a sound on the wet streets, unlike her pursers. The red hair which usually flowed down over her shoulders, reached back behind her like long wet fingers. Bullets whizzed past her ears as she narrowly dodged them. Her handbag, which she had slung diagonally across her torso, bounced against her hip. She felt a burning sensation in her side, but quickly pushed the feeling aside. The need to put as much distance between her family and White's men spurred her on. 

"She's hit. She won't be able to keep this pace up for much longer," Captain Dean called to his men. White was on his way and Captain Dean intended to be the one rewarded for the capture of X5-210. He saw his prey zap into an alley and grinned. Pointing to a team of men, he bellowed orders. "Cover the roof. She always goes up to escape." He gestured to another team. "You men come with me. It's a dead end alley. She's not going anywhere. White wants her alive, so shoot to wound, not kill." 

Cameron watched from the shadows. The young woman was quite obviously an X5 that he had heard so much about. It was amazing to actually see one in action. He had expected her to be all muscles and a butch haircut, but this X5 was all soft curves with a look of innocence to completely confuse the mix. Silently he watched the scene unfold before him. The X5 was smart. These men were going home empty handed tonight. 

Captain Dean swore as he searched the empty alley. He ordered his men to search the dumpster and check all of the doors while he contacted his men on the roof. There was no sign of X5-210. She had disappeared into thin air. 

Ames White pulled his car up to the group of soldiers. Before he had even stepped out of the car, he knew his men had lost the target. "How long did it take you to lose her this time?" He had become exasperated long ago with this constant chase. She had continuously slipped through his fingers. 

Captain Dean gulped. "We followed her to this alley, but she disappeared. We even had the roof covered." If they had caught the X5 female, he would be saying I instead of we. No sense in taking all of the blame when he didn't need to. "She won't have gone far, Sir, she's wounded." 

Ames White shot the Captain a look that made the Captain's blood run cold. "You shot X5-210? Why weren't you using the tasers as instructed? I gave specific instructions on how to handle this particular X5." 

"She was dodging the tasers, Sir. It was if she could see it coming." Captain Dean hastily tried to explain his actions. "I'll have my men track her." 

"You won't find her if she doesn't want to be found." White cast his eyes around the grubby alley. "The only reason you found her in the first place would have been because you were too close to one of the other transgenics. Pull your men out. You've lost her. Again." White turned and stormed back to his car. He had a new reason for wanting to catch X5-210. He had a feeling that she knew where to find 'Eyes Only'. He'd be killing two birds with one stone if he caught her. The French wanted to get their hands on X5-452, but nobody said he had to bring her in alive. 

With all of his dreams of grandeur drowned, Captain Dean reluctantly called his men back. Though he hated to admit it, he knew White had investigated X5-210 until he could almost anticipate her every move. 

Cameron chuckled as the men evacuated the alleyway and street. He waited a few minutes to make sure it was clear, then he cautiously walked into the alleyway. He stood still for a moment a few steps away from the dumpster. The dumpster creaked and moved forward. Cameron was dumb struck when he got a proper look at the X5 woman. 

Her blue eyes stared at him suspiciously from her incredibly pale face. Her long red hair, which had been soaked by the rain, clung to her neck and collarbone. The high-heeled boots that she wore gave her height and made her black demin clad legs appear even longer than they actually were. Cameron couldn't tell how old she was as the fitted outfit she wore screamed of maturity along with the flawless makeup and manicured nails. Her face was that of an innocent trapped in a situation she had no say in. 

"I'm not going to hurt you." Cameron took a step closer only to have the woman take a step back. "I'm a friend." 

"I've heard that before." The woman never blinked. Her accent would have fitted the elegant appearance perfectly, if she hadn't been soaked to the skin. "Who the hell are you?" 

"My name's Cameron." Cameron saw the suspicion in her eyes ease slightly before she collapsed unconscious on the filthy ground. He gently pushed the hair off of her face. "I guess I'd better get you to Father. He'll know how to take care of you." 

Logan and Max had been watching a movie, when Max started to fidget. Logan watched her for a moment. "Are you alright?" He had his arm around her shoulders and could feel that she had suddenly tensed up. 

Max nodded. "It's probably nothing." She reached into her bag, which she had dumped beside the sofa and pulled out her cell phone. She had switched it off when Jondy had arrived and forgot to switch it back on. She swore when the text message from her sister flashed at her. _911._ An address had also been text to Max. Before Max could say anything else, she saw that Logan had already grabbed his jacket and was dialing a number on his cell phone. Grabbing her own jacket, she followed him out the door. 

"Alec." Logan pushed the button for the lift. "We think Jondy's in trouble. Can you and Asha meet us at…" He looked over at Max, who showed him the address text through to her phone. He read the address out over the phone to Alec. "Meet you there in ten minutes." 

The lift opened as Logan finished his phone call. "Any idea what happened? I though Jondy was going to visit Joshua and then head home." 

Max nodded. "She was. I get the feeling she ran into trouble leaving Joshua's. Maybe we should stop off there first." She knew Jondy always parked her car a safe distance away from where Joshua lived. It was a safety precaution she took in case she was ever followed. 

"You think Jondy got spotted?" Logan knew how careful Jondy was. It didn't make sense. She would never do anything to render her children orphans. 

Max shook her head. "No, I think someone got too close to Joshua or another transgenic. The first thing Jondy would do is lead the enemy in the opposite direction. It's what she was trained to do, so it's a natural instinct. You can take the girl out of Manticore, but you can't take Manticore out of the girl." 

They rode silently to Joshua's, each contemplating what fate had fallen Jondy. When they got inside the house that Joshua was staying in, they found the tall transgenic pacing back and forth in his living room. He looked up when the couple walked in. "Jondy ran away. Lots of men chasing her." 

Max had been right. Jondy had been protecting Joshua. Max reached out and squeezed Joshua's hand. "Don't worry. We're going to find her. I'm just going to move Jondy's car off the street. Is there enough room in your garage for it?" 

"Yes. I'll go and open it for you." Joshua wanted to find Jondy as soon as possible. Once Jondy's car was safely locked away, Joshua pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up to cover his head. His canine senses could come in handy in the search for Jondy. 

The threesome met up with Alec and Asha at the address Jondy had text through to Max. Alec was worried. There was no sign of Jondy. "Are you sure this is where Jondy was going to be?" 

Max nodded. "This is it. She would have left some sort of clue. I'm not getting any answers to the text messages I've sent her." 

Logan pushed a speed dial number on his cell phone. "Jondy's phone is ringing. She may have turned the volume down so that she doesn't get sprung." 

Joshua peered into the alleyway. He could hear the phone ringing. Following the sound he headed towards the dumpster. "Dumpster's ringing." 

Asha opened the lid. "She's not in here. Are you sure you can hear ringing coming from here?" She was still a little uncomfortable around Joshua. 

"Not inside." Joshua pushed the dumpster aside. "Little fella! Found Jondy's bag." He called out to Max. He could smell Jondy's blood. Somebody had hurt his friend. 

Max, Logan, and Alec ran over to see what Joshua had found. Logan spotted the puddle of blood on the ground. "She's been hit. Somebody moved her. Jondy wouldn't send Max a message saying where she was and then move." 

"Are you picking up anyone else's scent?" Max looked up at Joshua who was still holding onto Jondy's handbag. 

Joshua sniffed around. "Scent stops at the end of the alley. Rain must have washed it away." 

Alec patted Max's shoulder. "I'm sure she's alright. Jondy's smart, she's got all those kids to get back to." 

"Yeah, I know." Max was still worried. She glanced up at Logan. She could tell he was worried to. "Where the hell is she? We don't know how badly she's hurt." 

Logan pulled Max into his arms. "Hey, Jondy climbed up the side of my building with a hole in her side one time, remember. I pity the fool that has her at the moment. Your sister gets pretty grumpy when she's some place she's not used to." 

"Maybe someone reported something to the police." Asha offered. She wondered if the people around her would put this much effort in if she went missing. 

"I'll call Matt. Maybe he heard something." Logan made the call on his cell phone without letting go of Max. He had helped out Max's siblings before, but somehow this time it was different. Jondy was family, not just Max's, his as well. 

Alec waited until Logan finished his call before he spoke. "We can't do anything more tonight. Why don't we all head home and try tracking Jondy when it gets light. Somebody ought to call San Francisco and let Julia know what's going on." 

Max shook her head. "I don't want to panic Julia and the girls until we actually know what happened to Jondy. At the moment, all I know is that she is alive." 

"What's the plan?" Joshua looked at the dark buildings around them. He wished he could be some help. 

"The plan is to find Jondy." Max was running possibilities through her head, but she wasn't eager to share her ideas with anyone but Logan for the moment. Together they could iron out the kinks before letting the others in on the plan. "Who knows, maybe Jondy will be able to get to a pay phone and call one of us." 

"You might want to let Original Cindy in on what's going on, in case Jondy phones there." Alec placed himself between Asha and Joshua, knowing that Asha was a little uncomfortable around his friend. 

"You'll have to tell her mother-in-law something." Asha pointed out. "Won't she wonder why it's taking so long for Jondy to get back. She might be expected at work as well." 

Joshua knew Max was worried about her sister, but he had seen the unusual bond that existed between the two sisters. If Max said that Jondy was alive, then he believed it to be true. "We'll find Jondy tomorrow." He handed Jondy's handbag to Max. 

Max smiled up at him. "Yeah, we will. Let's get you home." She reached out for Joshua's hand, while keeping her other arm around Logan's waist. They headed back to the car in silence. Each deep in thought about the missing X5. 

Cameron covered the injured woman with another blanket before sitting down at the dinner table. "She's one of the twelve X5s that escaped back in 09, isn't she, Father." He had always been full of questions when the old man had told him the story of the X5 escape from Manticore. 

The old man across the table nodded. "It's amazing that she's lasted so long in the outside world." Even now, so many years later, he could still see the child she had been. "Judging by her barcode number, she must be Jondy. I always knew there was a hidden strength in her." 

"They gave each other names, the X5s that escaped, didn't they?" Cameron was so excited to have living, breathing proof of something that had been a fairytale until now. 

The old man smiled at Cameron's enthusiasm. "Yes, Cameron. They were determined to prove their independence and individuality right from the start. They relied only on each other and no one else. They made themselves a family, which was something Manticore frowned upon." 

Cameron gestured over to the bed where Jondy lay, still unconscious. "What was she like when you knew her?" He had seen the young woman out run twenty men, while wearing high heels. She had been more than prepared to take him on, with a wound in her side and another in her shoulder. He couldn't help but admire her. 

The old man thought back to his time at Manticore. The memories were rarely happy ones. "It's been a long time and she was only a little girl then. She was shy and quiet. Manticore considered her the weak link. She and another of the X5 girls became almost inseparable. They were the same age and had the ability to survive on only a couple of hours sleep." He looked over at the bed to find it empty. 

Cameron followed the old man's shocked look. "Where did she go?" He looked around the room. "She can't have gone far. Her clothes are in the wash and she's injured." 

"Be quiet Cameron." The old man could feel Jondy was still in the room. He listened for some sort of movement. The X5s had been taught to hold their breath for extended periods of time, so it was no use listening for her breathing. 

Suddenly something dropped from the ceiling in front of Cameron. A long pale arm grabbed Cameron by the throat and lifted him into the air. He found himself looking down into a pair of icy blue eyes. 

"I'll be wanting my clothes back now." Jondy clutched the blanket around her with her other hand. "What sort of pervert steals a wounded woman's clothes?" 

"The accent's new, Jondy." The old man tried to calm her down, knowing full well that she could break Cameron's neck without trying too hard. "Why don't you put Cameron down and I'll get you something to eat." 

Jondy glared at the old man. "I don't know you and going by what I just heard, why would I trust anyone that worked for Manticore?" She kept the pain she felt hidden. She needed to keep the upper hand. 

"You do know me, Jondy." The old man could see Cameron's face starting to turn blue. "Max knows me, too. My name's Sandeman. Some of the transgenics call me Father." 

The shock registered on Jondy's face as she dropped Cameron. "You're Sandeman?" She stepped over Cameron, who lay gasping for breath on the floor. "You left Joshua in the basement all alone." She circled Sandeman with caution. She had awoken to find herself in a strange house with two men she didn't know and her clothes missing. Predatory instincts kicked in when she or the others in her family felt caged in. 

Sandeman watched as she circled him, marveling at her cat-like movements. "Are Joshua and Isaac safe?" He had, had to leave Manticore so suddenly that he was unable to take them with him. There was no place for them in the outside world. 

"Joshua's fine." Jondy stopped circling him, making sure she could see both men. "Isaac's dead. Manticore tortured him after you left. He became hostile and started attacking Sector Police when Manticore was destroyed and everyone got loose." 

Sandeman sat down heavily in his chair. "Do you know how he died?" All of his creations were precious to him, even though he knew the young woman in front of him would never believe that. 

Max had told Jondy everything that had happened. On one visit to Seattle Joshua had shown Jondy Isaac's grave. "Isaac attacked Max. Joshua protected Max." Her statement was short and simple, but she could see that Sandeman got the full meaning behind it. "You could have stopped it. You could have protected them." 

"I had to protect my son." Sandeman looked down at Cameron, who hadn't moved from the floor. "You know Manticore as well as I do. They threatened my family. They had to come first. If you had a child, you would understand that." 

Jondy wasn't about to let the old man know about her children. There was nothing to prove this man was who he said he was. "Where are my clothes?" Her voice was as cold as the expression on her face. 

"They're soaking." Cameron finally stood up. "You lost a lot of blood. Why were you being chased?" He summoned up the courage to ask at least one question. 

"They got too close to Joshua." Jondy leaned back against the wall, still clutching the blanket around her. "It's what I was made for. To be a distraction. It doesn't really help that their boss has a thing for me." 

"Donald Lydecker has the hots for a X5?" Sandeman couldn't believe it. He had heard of the way Lydecker had referred to that particular group of X5's as his kids. He couldn't believe the obsession went that far. 

"No." Jondy shook her head. "Ames White. Lydecker made a move to help destroy Manticore when the new director, Renfro, started killing off my siblings." 

"Out of the twelve of you that escaped," Sandeman chose his words carefully. "How many of you are still out in the world?" He almost expected Jondy to run out of the house despite the lack of clothing. 

"Brin's been reprogrammed, Ben and Tinga are dead. Zack's suffered a memory loss." Jondy glanced down at the growing red patch on the blanket. "Where's your first aid kit?" 

Sandeman pointed to the box on the bench. "So Max is still alive." He felt a wave of relief wash over him. His special one. He wondered if Jondy knew how special Max was. 

Jondy opened the box one handed, never taking her eyes off the men. "She is now. Where's my hand bag?" 

"You didn't have it on you when you collapsed." Cameron took a step forward. "Here, let me help you." He stopped moving when she flinched. "I'm not trying to hurt you." 

"It's not in her genetic make up to trust anyone outside her unit." Sandeman pulled his son back towards him. "Don't take it personally, Cameron." 

Max had stayed at Logan's apartment that night. They had spent all night pouring over a map trying to figure out where Jondy may have disappeared to. They had come to the assumption that somebody had taken Jondy, when no attempt had been made by morning to contact them. 

Logan's cell phone ringing woke him. He felt as though he had only been asleep for five minutes. "Hello?" Still half asleep, Logan saw Max appear in the doorway. 

"Logan. It's Sam." The Doctor's voice sounded vaguely panicked. "Is Jessica with you?" 

Logan beckoned Max over to the bed. "No, Sam. We haven't seen Jessica since last night. Why do you ask?" 

Sam paced outside Metro Medical, holding his cell phone to his ear, straining to hear Logan over the noise of the traffic passing him. "One of the nurses took a call this morning, asking if anyone by the name of Jessica fitting your friend's description had been brought in with a gun shot wound." 

Logan saw Max tense up. With her feline hearing, she could easily listen into the call. Logan figured it was probably White trying to track Jondy down. "We'll get hold of her and tell her somebody's looking for her. Don't worry about it." 

"If you say so, Logan." Sam wasn't so sure this wasn't just another trap. "I'll keep an eye out for Jessica in case this isn't a hoax." 

"Thanks, Sam." Logan hung up the phone and looked into Max's chocolate colored eyes. "What do you think?" 

Max pulled her knees up under her chin and hugged her legs. "I think somebody disobeyed an order when they wounded Jondy and now White's trying to find out if she's still alive." 

"I'll give Matt another call. Maybe someone phoned in a mysterious sighting." Logan pulled Max into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "We'll find her, Max." 

"I know." Max snuggled into his embrace. "I just hope we're not too late." She couldn't bear to lose another sister. The memory of holding Tinga in her arms was still fresh. Every time she looked at Alec, she felt the guilt of Ben's death. 

Captain Dean was not giving up. The X5 woman had slipped through his fingers and against White's orders, he had his men doing a building-by-building search. So far they had come up with nothing. He was determined not to go back empty handed again. 

When Captain Dean had first seen the sketch of X5-210, something had been triggered inside of him. For the most part, this particular X5 avoided being photographed, hence the sketch. He had spent any spare time sifting through reports of sightings and the occasional capture. Just when he thought he had figured out her routine or procedure, she would change it and he would have to start all over again. 

While Ames White's obsession with X5-210 seemed to be based on lust, Captain Dean's was being the man who caught her and delivered her to Head Office. 

"Sir!" One of his men called out to him. Captain Dean walked over to where the soldier stood beside an African American woman. "The young lady here says she saw a man carrying a red headed woman over his shoulder last night." 

Captain Dean looked down at the woman. "Did you see which way he headed?" This was the first spark of a lead they had, had all morning. 

"Yeah. They headed south." The woman pointed in the direction she was talking about. "I don't know what whack sort of stuff girl friend was taking, but she was dead to the world." 

Captain smiled at her. "Thank you. You've been most helpful." He signaled his men to change the direction of their search. He was close to reaching his goal, he could feel it. 

Original Cindy leaned against the wall of the building she had been standing in front of. She watched the soldiers running from building to building. "Alright, Boo. Let's find a pay phone and let Max know what's going on." 

Joshua walked out of the nearby alley. "We find Jondy after we call little fella?" He pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up so that his face was practically covered. 

"That's the plan, Boo." Original Cindy took hold of Joshua's gloved hand and pulled him towards a pay phone. "I don't think Max is going to be too happy about you walking around this part of the neighborhood." 

"We have to find Jondy." In Joshua's mind it was more important to find Jondy, than worry about people seeing him and being scared. 

"I know, Boo, but Jondy would feel bad if anything happened to you, while you were trying to find her," Cindy tried to explain, but she could see Joshua was determined. 

Joshua patted her shoulder with his free hand. "Joshua will be fine." He kept his head down though while Cindy dialed the number on the pay phone. 

Max couldn't believe what Original Cindy had just told her. She had pretty much guessed when Original Cindy told her that she had Joshua with her, that he had turned up at the apartment raring to go and find Jondy. She had hoped that Cindy would have tried to talk him out of it. Max had hung up the phone still in shock. "Logan! Joshua and Original Cindy think they've found a lead on Jondy. We've got to hurry, there's a unit of soldiers out looking for her as well." 

Logan appeared out of the bedroom, their jackets in one hand, a first aid kit in the other. "Let's go then." 

Jondy sat in the corner of the room trying to get her bearings. There was no phone in the house and Sandeman had threatened to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun if she tried to leave before she had healed properly. Normally, Jondy would have ignored the threat and made a run for it. Unfortunately, the amount of blood she had lost made her movements slower. The idea of being tranquilized didn't appeal either. 

Cameron and his father had taken turns watching Jondy. She still refused to let either one near her and had insisted that they provided her with some clothing until her clothes were clean and dry. 

Cameron sat wondering how anyone could still look gorgeous as Jondy did, dressed in sweatpants and an old jumper. He had on more than one occasion last night, seen her feline DNA in action. Every time he tried to get near her, she practically hissed at him. He wondered what he'd have to do to make her purr. 

"Cameron." Sandeman had woken to see the look on his son's face as he watched over Jondy. "She's not a pet. We can't keep her." He had a feeling that her family was probably looking for her. He turned to Jondy, who was still glaring at him as she had been last night. "Why don't I get us all some breakfast." He wasn't surprised that she hadn't slept. "How are your wounds?" 

"Healing," Jondy snapped. She couldn't see why Joshua spoke so fondly of this man. She knew Max was looking for her, but as she had no idea where she was herself, she had no way of letting her sister know. She had managed to get the men to keep their distance, but she wasn't sure what they were capable of. In her weakened state, she wasn't about to find out. 

Sandeman wondered who else would be looking for the X5. He had risked a lot for the safety of his son. Having this particular X5 in his home could only bring them trouble. "As soon as you've healed sufficiently, Cameron will get you back to your family." 

Cameron had been trying to think of a way to get Jondy to stay. His father was right though. Jondy wasn't a pet and she obviously didn't want to be there any longer than she had to be. "No problem. I'll go and get your clothes. They should be dry by now." 

Jondy stayed put. She wasn't eager to reopen her wounds. The quicker she healed, the quicker she would get out of there. "I'll find my own way home, thank you." She wasn't about to lead anyone to her family. 

Cameron wasn't about to argue with Jondy. He had a bruise around his throat where she had grabbed him the night before. Slowly he moved out of his bed and went to fetch her clothes. He paused in the doorway and turned to face Jondy. "You were never a prisoner here." He felt the need to make a last minute attempt to reassure her that she was safe with them. 

"What would you call it then?" Jondy snarled. "I'm told I'm not allowed to leave until you two say I can. You take my clothes and your father threatens to shoot me with a tranquilizer gun if I try to leave the house. Gee, was I supposed to think this was a five star hotel?" Her voice was thick with sarcasm. 

Sandeman could see Jondy's point. He had been surprised to get home last night to find his son had found an injured X5. "Go and get Jondy's clothes, Cameron. We have kept her here long enough." He realized trying to keep her there against her will, would only result in one of them getting hurt. 

Max followed Joshua closely. She was torn between getting Joshua off of the streets, back to the safety of his home and finding her injured sister. "Are you sure this is the right way?" 

Joshua nodded. "Jondy went this way, wasn't walking though. Other person that was in alley must have been carrying her." 

Max frowned. "How can you tell that? I thought the rain had washed away the scent." 

Joshua pointed at the ground to a small patch of dry blood. "Jondy's blood." He pointed to his nose. "Not Jondy's scent. Other person in alley scent. Must walk this way a lot. Scent is fresh." 

"Max." Logan pulled his car up beside Max and Joshua. "Alec just called. Someone tipped the tracking team they were heading in the wrong direction. They're heading this way fast." 

It had been decided that Logan and Original Cindy would follow Max and Joshua in the car, just in case they needed to make a quick getaway. Alec and Asha were following the soldiers to make sure they stayed on the false lead Original Cindy had given them. 

"Joshua." Max looked up at her friend urgently. "Can you speed this up." 

"Already here." Joshua pointed towards a little house nearby. "In there." He took hold of Max's hand and dragged her towards the house. 

Max pulled Joshua to a stop and knocked on the door. She didn't need to ask if Joshua was sure that Jondy was inside. She could sense it herself. She listened for someone to approach the door before she drew her leg up and kicked the door. She spotted her sister instantly, leaning against the wall, her arms wrapped round herself. "Sorry we took so long, but you didn't exactly leave a trail of breadcrumbs." 

Joshua raced into the house behind Max. As Cameron went to stand from where he had been knocked to the ground by the flying door, Joshua growled at him. He looked up to see that Jondy wasn't moving from her position against the wall. "You alright." He walked over to her and picked her up without waiting for an answer. Joshua halted when he saw the old man across the room. "Father?" 

Max turned to get a good look at the man Joshua was talking to. "This guy's Sandeman? You mean we've been trying to track him down and he's been in Seattle all this time?" She threw her hands up in the air. "Of course he has, cause my life just isn't weird enough already." 

Sandeman walked towards Joshua who was cradling Jondy in his arms as though she were a porcelain doll. "Joshua." He reached out and stroked the transgenic's head. "You made it out." He cast a glance at the two X5 women. "You made some good friends by the look of it." He didn't have to ask to know the women cared about Joshua. 

Cameron stared in amazement at the part man part beast towering above all of them. What surprised him most was the lack of fear Jondy showed nestled in his arms. "He was the first?" 

Sandeman smiled. "Yes, son. Joshua was the first." He looked over at Max. He would have recognized her anywhere. She still had that look of innocence and distrust in her beautiful brown eyes. "And this is Max." 

Max threw Sandeman a filthy look. "As much as I'd love to talk about old times, not to mention the questions I want answers to, we've gotta move. There's a military unit heading this way and they're not out for a Sunday morning jog." 

Logan ran into the house. "Time to move. Alec and Asha are just in front of the troops." He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of screeching tyres. "Time's up. Joshua give me, Jondy." 

Joshua tossed Jondy into Logan's waiting arms. "Father and son coming to." He took hold of Sandeman's arm and pushed him gently towards the door, collecting Cameron on the way. 

Logan's face was the picture of confusion as he carefully placed Jondy into the back of his car with Original Cindy. "What happened in there?" 

Max climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. "I'll explain later." She pulled Logan into the car as a soldier appeared and took a swing at him. "Company's arrived." 

Logan elbowed the soldier in the gut, causing him to move back enough for Logan to shut the door. Shots were being fired at the small vehicle. Other soldiers approached the car, but found themselves flying backwards. 

Joshua was pulling the troops off of the car and tossing them away as though they were pieces of lint. "You blaze!" He yelled as he ran back to the van where Asha and Alec were waiting with Sandeman and Cameron. 

Logan floored the gas pedal and drove down the street with the sole thought of getting his family to safety. He noticed out of the corner of his eye, that the three women in the car with him were watching something behind them. He looked into the rear vision mirror and saw that Alec was swerving the van back and forth to ensure that the troops couldn't catch up with Logan's car. 

As they watched the events behind them, the foursome saw Asha swap seats with Alec so that she was driving. Alec pulled a gun from somewhere in the van and pulled himself out the passenger window so that he was sitting on the frame. Aiming carefully despite the bullets whizzing past his ear, he shot the tires of the following vehicle out. The vehicle swung slightly to the side before spinning around blocking any on coming traffic. Looking rather pleased with himself, Alec slid back into the van. 

Max relaxed slightly when she saw they were no longer being followed. Her concern was back on Jondy. "How badly were you hit." Her sister for once looked terrible. 

Jondy managed a weak smile. "I took one in my left arm and another in my left side. I don't appear to have damaged any major organs." She looked out of the window and saw what direction they were heading in. "Logan, don't head back to your place." 

Logan watched Jondy in the rear vision mirror. "You don't trust this guy Sandeman, do you?" 

Jondy shook her head. "There's something off balance with him. His son seemed to want to keep me as a pet which doesn't sit well with me." 

Original Cindy had noticed the purple bruise on Cameron's neck when they had rushed everyone out of the house. "There's a brother in the van back there sporting your hand print on his neck." 

Jondy knew when she had collapsed, exactly what her injuries were. When she had regained consciousness, she had been sporting more cuts and bruises that couldn't be explained and she had been fighting the intense desire to sleep. "I'm not exactly sure what those two did to me while I was out. I have had more than my fair share of injuries, but since when do you have to remove every scrape of someone's clothing to dress a side wound and an arm wound?" 

Max caught Jondy's drift. She quickly dialed Alec's cell number. "Hey, it's me. We may have a problem with our new friends. Keep an eye on them, will ya?" Max turned to Logan. "Got a safe house nearby we can take them to? We can figure out what to do with them after Jondy's had some rest." 

Logan nodded. "Sure. We'll probably need to redress your wounds too, Jondy." 

"Hell, I'd settle for a nice hot shower and something to eat right now." Jondy closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off to sleep. 

Max had seen the joy on Joshua's face when he saw Sandeman. She really didn't want to be the one to tell him that the person he called Father couldn't be trusted. On the other hand Jondy had never trusted anyone other than Logan right away. There was always the possibility her sister was over reacting. "Think we can tap the phone when we drop our guests off?" She raised her eyebrow at Logan. 

"I'm way ahead of you." Logan grinned. "I have a place already set up." He pulled his car over and got out to speak to Alec. A few minutes later he got back in the car. "Let's get Jondy home. Alec will meet us back at my apartment once he's dropped Sandeman and son off." 

"You know, I can look after Jondy at our crib if you two want some time alone." Original Cindy was pretty sure Jondy would be suggesting the same thing if she were awake. 

It was Logan that turned down the offer. "Thanks for the offer, Cindy, but it would probably be best if we all stayed at my apartment tonight until we figure out what the hell is going on." 

They made it back to the apartment building and Logan carried a still sleeping Jondy upstairs and lay her down on the bed in the guest room. Covering her with a blanket, he left the room and started making lunch. 

"I don't want to alarm you, Boo," Original Cindy stood beside Max watching Jondy sleep. "But is it a good thing for her to be sleeping this deeply and this long?" 

Max tenderly brushed her sister's hair off of her face. "No." A mark on her sister's neck caught her eye. Leaning forward slightly so that she could see clearly what the mark was. "Somebody's been playingd Doctor." She carefully removed her sister's jacket and rolled up her shirtsleeve. There was a small bruise on the under side of Jondy's arm. "She was drugged and then someone took a sample." 

Original Cindy frowned. "Then why weren't the soldier boys banging down the door sooner?" 

Logan appeared in the doorway with Alec behind him. "Cameron's just patched a call through to White. I got the impression that Sandeman doesn't know what his son's up to." 

Alec's eyes narrowed slightly. "Maybe Cameron's not his son. After all, Joshua calls him father and as far as I can tell, they're not related." 

"What did Cameron have to say to White?" Max noticed her sister starting to stir. "That little pervert's been touching someone he's not allowed to." 

Logan was confused by her comment. "He said he had achieved what someone called Captain Dean couldn't. Then he referred to Sandeman as the missing link and said he could deliver both Sandeman and the package tonight." 

Jondy caught the end of the conversation. "Sandeman knows all about Max's DNA. If White gets him, he doesn't need Max. I'm guessing that either I'm the package or whatever that bastard took off of me while I was unconscious." She rolled her eyes at the puzzled looks coming her way. "I've got way too many cuts and bruises that I can't explain to think he patched me up and let me sleep." She flinched as she moved off of the bed and went to take a shower. 

Joshua sat outside the bathroom door while Jondy was in the shower. Although he was happy to see Father, he could sense there was danger where Cameron was concerned. He looked up to find Max watching him. "Cameron hurt Jondy, didn't he, little fella." 

Max sat down beside him on the floor. "We're not sure, Big Fella. We do know that he's helping White so we have to be careful." She saw Joshua's expression change as though he were listening to something. "What's wrong?" She couldn't hear anything unusual. 

"Strange noise." Joshua pressed his ear against the bathroom door. "Coming from in there." At that moment they heard the shower switch off. Joshua banged on the door. 

Jondy opened the door whilst holding a towel around herself. "What's the matter?" She felt better now that she had washed the make up off that had been on her face for two days. 

"Strange noise in there." Joshua walked into he bathroom searching for the noise while Max and Jondy watched him. Finally he picked up Jondy's jeans, which were laying on the floor. "Noise coming from here." He pointed to the top button on her jeans. 

Jondy reached for the jeans. They were filthy. "He said he had washed them." She muttered more to herself than anything. Taking a closer look at the button, she suddenly ripped it off of the jeans and threw it on the floor. "Crush it." She ordered Max. 

Max stamped on the button, reducing it to dust. "They've been tracking you. So why isn't White breaking the door down?" 

"He thinks I'm going to lead him to 'Eyes Only'." Jondy knew something else was behind Cameron wanting her to stay with him. "Every time White lays a trap for me, I get outside help. He assumes it's 'Eyes Only'. I wonder how much Cameron is getting for handing us both over." 

"I'm willing to go and find out." Max picked up her sister's clothes. "After I've put these through the rinse cycle." If there were anymore bugs hidden in the clothing they wouldn't last long in a washing machine. 

Sandeman woke to hear voices in the next room. Assuming Cameron had the television on, he rose from his bed and opened the bedroom door. The television was on, but it was Cameron's voice that could be heard the clearest. He was talking to someone on the phone. Puzzled by whom Cameron could be speaking to, Sandeman stood in silence in the doorway listening to the conversation. 

"No, you listen." Cameron was hissing down the phone. "I gave you twenty minutes to think about it. I've been living like a hermit for the past year and a half posing as the old man's long lost son. I bugged the girl so that you could get both the girl and this 'Eyes Only' guy. I deserve triple what you were willing to pay. I even have cell samples off of the girl to prove she's the right one. Here's the new deal: Either I get triple the amount in cash or I keep the girl for myself. She made it pretty clear how much she despises you anyway." He slammed the phone down. 

Sandeman couldn't believe his ears. How could he have been so careless? He had been so desperate to find his family that he had believed the first person claiming to be his son. He had no way of knowing where to find the X5 women to warn them that they were in danger and he had no idea who 'Eyes Only' was. 

Cameron pulled a device out of his pocket to find the location of the bug, but there was no signal. He tapped the device trying to jolt some sort of answer out of it. He had already given White his location in order to have the money delivered. Cameron ran to the door. He had to get out of there before White turned up and found him empty handed. Throwing open the door he found himself face to face with Max. 

"Going somewhere?" Max kicked Cameron in the mid section, sending him flying across the room. "Bet you didn't figure on us visiting so soon." 

Sandeman felt somebody grab him from behind and then everything went blank. 

Cameron staggered to his feet. "White's going to be here any minute. I can only imagine what he'll pay me for handing over you." 

Max shot him an evil smile. "That asshole wants me dead. You won't get a thing for me and you're out of your perverted little head if you think she's going to let you hand her over to White." She nodded to someone over his shoulder. 

Cameron turned slowly to find Jondy standing behind him. "Hey, this wasn't personal." He started stammering. "White's offering a lot of money for you. I had to think of my father's future. He's getting old." 

Jondy spun around and kicked him back across the room to Max. "We know you tricked Sandeman into thinking you were his son. We also know you upped the price for delivery of 'Eyes Only' and myself to White." 

Max yanked Cameron to his feet. "Gotta figure White's gonna be pretty pissed when you can't deliver either and Jondy shows up in Arizona." She saw her sister smile at the deliberate slip of location. 

Alec strolled in the door. "Van's packed and ready to go. Want to leave a message for White? It seems sort of rude to crash and run." He left Asha in the van with the motor running and Joshua looking after Sandeman in the back of the van. 

The three X5s grinned dangerously at Cameron. Cameron started shaking in his boots. This did not look good for him. 

Ames White calmly walked up to the door of the safe house and kicked it in. He wasn't about to knock politely and allow Cameron to blackmail him further. He shook his head and smiled to himself at the sight before him. 

Hanging from the ceiling by his tied hands was Cameron. He was completely naked apart from the strategically placed A4 sized piece of paper with the words 'Is this the best you can do' written on it in black marker pen. Apart from the hand print bruise on his neck, Cameron had a couple of boot print bruises on his mid section and two black eyes that had obviously been administered to him very recently. Cameron glared at White, who seemed to be taking great pleasure in seeing him in this unfortunate state. "Get me down from here. They took the old man and they're planning to send X5-210 back to Arizona." 

White's look of humor changed to one more serious. "Then what do I need you for?" Without any hesitation he pulled his gun out of his jacket and shot Cameron in the head. As calmly as he had walked in, he walked back out to his car and drove away. He was certain that X5-210 wasn't heading for Arizona, but he was equally certain that she wouldn't stay in Seattle for too long either. After 'Eyes Only' had portrayed him as a murderer a few weeks ago, he had to keep a low profile. Ames White knew if he were patient enough, he would get everything he wanted. 

Original Cindy walked into the living room of Logan's apartment chuckling to herself. "You have got to come and watch this." She waved Logan and Max towards the guestroom. 

They had dropped Sandeman off at the safe house that Lydecker was staying in. When it was safe enough they would get him across the border into Canada. Any questions they had would have to wait for the moment. On returning to Logan's apartment, Jondy had phoned San Francisco to let Julia and the girls know she was safe and would be home in a couple of days. Joshua had refused to leave Jondy's side and had tucked the redhead into bed and was now reading her a bedtime story. 

Asha and Alec were cuddled up on the bedroom floor watching the scene with great amusement. They had all seen Jondy read a couple of the younger girls that she had adopted, bedtime stories. The sight of Jondy sound asleep against Joshua's chest while he read to her was so unbelievably funny. 

Original Cindy grinned at Logan and Max, who were struggling not to laugh. "Only hanging with you peeps would I ever get to see something this strange." 

Max gave her a friendly nudge. "At least you can't say we're boring." At this point she was just happy they were all safe. She leaned back against Logan's chest and felt his arms circle her waist. 

Sandeman sat across from Lydecker in the living room of another safe house. "It must have taken every ounce of strength Jondy had, not to fall asleep from the after effects of the drug Cameron gave her." 

Lydecker shook his head. "She wouldn't have taken the chance of falling asleep even if she wasn't genetically enhanced. My kids don't give in when there's family involved. There's too many people counting on Jondy making it home." 

Sandeman nodded. "They've changed since I last saw them. They're stronger and more focused, just not on what they were designed to be focused on." 

"That's not a bad thing." Lydecker was surprised at how much he, himself had changed in the past year. Instead of wanting to capture the X5s, he would give his life to keep them alive. "Why did you make Max different? What purpose did you have for her?" 

"What makes you think Max is different?" Sandeman's eyes widened when Lydecker threw the test results done on Max at Manticore in front of him. "The answer's right in front of you. What do you need me for?" So this was why they had saved him. 

Lydecker shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe we don't. Max and Jondy have become rather found of Joshua and he seems to want you alive. Now how about you tell me what I'm looking at in these test results." 

"Human Perfection," Sandeman replied simply. 

_The End_


	21. Unanswered Questions

**"Unanswered Questions"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Julia, Cameron and Nigel however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

Max and Logan travel to Canada to get answers for the questions surrounding her DNA. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs after "Proof Of Purchase".

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

The snow lay over the trees and ground like a huge white blanket. The breeze, although cold, was invigorating. It all looked as though it were a carefully constructed painting that should be hanging on an art gallery wall. The blond that stood on her front porch staring in wonder at it all, lovingly caressed her swollen belly. This was a perfect place to raise her child. She shuddered at the thought of what might have been if Manticore hadn't been destroyed. 

"Ralph, come inside," Bullet called from inside the house. "It's freezing out there." He walked out onto the porch and placed a jacket around her shoulders. He looked out at the scene before him and understood her fascination. "It's beautiful. Come on back inside. Bugler's awake and looking for breakfast. You need to keep your strength up too." 

"Alright, Bullet, I'm coming." Ralph smiled to herself. She often thought about Max and how lucky they all were that she had taken the time to ensure they were given a chance at a better life. Casting the landscape one more glance, she headed back inside where Fixit had already started breakfast. 

Max let herself into Logan's apartment as she usually did. "Logan!" She had, had a lousy day at work. The only thing that had kept her from being totally depressed was a phone call from Jondy. "Hey! Where are you hiding?" It was unusual not to find Logan working away at his computer. She jumped slightly when Logan walked in the front door of his apartment. "Hey. Where have you been?" She stood on tiptoes for a kiss. 

Logan kissed Max hello. "Getting sector passes and fuel. I wasn't expecting you this early." He beamed at her. "Not that I'm complaining about spending more time with you." 

"Good." Max smiled back. "I thought I'd head straight here from work. Original Cindy's got a hot date so I figured I'd give her some space." She slumped down on the sofa. "I sure hope your day was better than mine." 

Logan sat down beside her. "Got a lot done so that I could have the weekend off to spend with a sexy brunette. What happened at work?" 

Max cuddled up to Logan. "How about you spend the weekend with me instead," she joked as she felt his arm go around her shoulders. "Work wasn't really that bad. Normal was being his usual self. I got a flat tire twice, you know, the same old same old. Jondy phoned though. She said she's just about back to normal." 

Logan listened patiently. "You fancy a trip across the boarder? I though we could try and get some answers out of Sandeman." He knew Max wanted some of the mysteries about her DNA solved. 

Max crawled into his lap and sat so that she was facing him. "We could catch up with the X6 kids while we're there." She smiled mischievously. "What are we going to do with the rest of our time?" 

Logan kissed her neck. "We'll think of something to pass the time." He pulled back to look at her. "Have you got enough warm clothes with you?" They had agreed to take things slow. Max spent her weeknights at her own apartment unless she was doing 'Eyes Only' work and on the weekends she stayed with Logan. Logan had made the effort to get any 'Eyes Only' work out of the way by Friday night so that Max had his full attention. 

Max shrugged. "I should be alright. Better take along a couple of your sweaters just in case." She smiled sadly. "All of those times Zack tried to get me over the boarder and I wouldn't go. You ask me once and I'm already planning my clothing." 

Logan pulled her closer. "It obviously makes a difference how you ask." He gently pushed her hair off of her neck and started to kiss his way up from her collarbone to her ear. 

Max giggled as she felt his beard brush her neck. "Not to dampen the moment, but I just want to call Alec and make sure he drops in to visit Joshua." She grabbed the phone before Logan could argue that Joshua would be fine. As she started dialing Alec's cell phone number, Logan switched to the other side of her neck and started working his way down. Max had dialed the phone number three times before she gave up trying to concentrate through Logan's sweet torture. "Hell, I'll call him from the car." She tossed the phone into an armchair and gave Logan her undivided attention. 

Logan had organized a passport and sector pass for Sandeman as soon as it was safe for him to travel. The old man had gone into a state of shock after he had found out the man claiming to be his son, Cameron, was an imposter. Lydecker had got next to nowhere with his questions about Max's DNA. In the end they had all decided to allow Sandeman to settle into his new home before questioning him further. 

Sandeman had been incredibly apologetic of Cameron's treatment of Jondy. Jondy had begrudgingly accepted the apology for Joshua's sake. It obviously upset him to see two of the people he cared about, not getting on. After a couple of days rest, Jondy had gone back to San Francisco. A week later Sandeman had traveled to Canada. 

The roads were relatively clear so Max and Logan had started their trip early that morning. Max had offered to drive as neither of them had gotten much sleep last night, but Logan assured her that he was fine and he would swap driving with her if he had a problem. 

They drove in a comfortable silence with only the sound of classical music floating through the car. Max knew that Logan had made an attempt to try and locate Sandeman's family so that they had something to bargain with, but hadn't come up with much. 

Max pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and pushed a speed dial number. She waited patiently for the phone the other end to be picked up. "Hey, Boo. How was your evening last night?" She giggled as Original Cindy gave her a humorous summary of her date. "Logan and I are heading to Canada for the weekend. Do you think you'll have time to visit Joshua a couple of times for me. I'd ask Alec but Joshua seems to get into trouble every time the two of them are left together." She was relieved when Cindy promised to visit 'Dog boy'. "Thanks, Boo. I'll see you when we get back." 

Logan marveled at the enchanting scenery passing them by. Nothing could compare to the beauty seated beside him in the car in his opinion. "Did Jondy tell you if she was back at work yet?" He had dressed the X5s wounds for her a couple of times and had voiced his concerns to Max about her sister's condition. 

Max shook her head. "Not yet. Julia called Nigel at the bar before Jondy got back to San Francisco. She told him that Jondy had been attacked in Seattle and needed a week off." She chuckled when she recalled Jondy's rant when she found out Logan had phoned Julia and told her what had happened. "Your name is mud by the way. I wouldn't ask Jondy for any favors for a while." 

Logan grimaced. "I only did it for Jondy's sake. She'd already reopened that side wound three times." He had known when he had phoned Julia that Jondy would be upset with him. "How mad is she?" The last person that had made Jondy mad had been found hanging naked by his ankles from the Golden Gate Bridge. Her temper certainly matched her hair color. 

"If you're lucky, she'll forgive you in a couple of days." Max tried not to laugh at the worried look on Logan's face. "When she's calmed down and back at work, I'm sure she'll realize you were only acting out of concern and not interfering." 

"I hope you're right." Logan relaxed a little. "We can always threaten Sandeman with a visit from Jondy if he doesn't co-operate. Do you think he'll remember what your DNA was designed towards? It was a long time ago." 

Max pushed her long hair off of her face. "He's got to. There is no one else to ask." Sandeman was the hope she had to answer her questions. She wasn't ready to let go of that hope just yet. 

Logan had rented a cabin to stay in for the weekend. It wasn't huge, but it would suit the two of them for their brief stay. It was isolated and out of sight of any passersby, which gave them the privacy they both needed. 

Max laid a map out on the dinning table while Logan set his lap top up on the coffee table in front of the sofa. They had contacted Sandeman as soon as they got to Canada and he had agreed to meet them at the cabin for dinner. As always Max was mapping out an escape route in case they got into any trouble. 

After about an hour Logan felt himself starting to nod off. The lack of sleep from the night before was starting to catch up with him. Standing, he stretched his arms and glanced over to where Max was sitting staring out of the window. He frowned to himself when he saw the look of uncertainty on Max's face. "You alright?" He walked over and sat down beside her. 

Max smiled at his concern. "It's nothing." She rolled her eyes when Logan made no attempt to move away or change his expression. "It's stupid really. It's just I've always known I was a genetically engineered freak. Now I find out I'm a freak with a purpose, I just don't know what it is yet. Maybe I don't want to know." 

Logan reached out and took her hand. "First of all, you're not a freak. Whether we find out what your DNA is engineered towards or not, it doesn't change the way I feel about you. I love you, no matter what. As for not wanting to know what the purpose of your DNA is, you know it will drive you crazy if you don't find out." Logan hoped he was getting through to Max. 

Max chewed on her lower lip before looking Logan in the eye. "I love you too. I guess you're right about needing to know." She noticed for the first time how tired he looked. She stroked his face with her free hand. "You look tired. Why don't you get some sleep. I'll wake you in a couple of hours." 

Logan turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand. "You sure you're alright?" He was treated to a dazzling smile and a nod from Max. "Alright. I could use some sleep." He kissed her forehead and walked off to the bedroom. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow. 

Zero jerked to alert when he heard someone moving through the snow-covered bush. He and the other X6s had become adapted to more human behavior these days, but some of the old habits were hard to shake. Creeping silently through the bush he saw the intruder. He was surprised to see it was an old man. 

"You lost?" Zero stepped out from his cover and startled the old man. He thought for a moment that the intruder was going to have a heart attack at the sight of him. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. We don't get many visitors around here." 

Sandeman managed a nervous smile. "I'm supposed to meet a couple at their cabin it's somewhere near here. I guess I took a wrong path." 

Zero took a guess at which cabin the old man was referring to. "You're not far off track if it's the cabin I'm thinking of. Come on, I'll show you." It would give him a chance to see who had rented the cabin. He was extra cautious of strangers since Ralph had found out she was pregnant. 

"Thank you." Sandeman was grateful for the assistance. The people in this area, he had discovered, kept pretty much to themselves. This was something he had begun to appreciate. He had given up on locating his wife and son, after being betrayed by Cameron. They were either so well hidden that he had lost hope of finding them or Manticore had made them disappear. Either option was pretty dismal. 

Zero pointed to the cabin almost hidden by the surrounding trees. "I think that's the place you're looking for. There's not really anything else around here." 

Sandeman reached out and shook the young man's hand. "Thank you for your help." 

"No problem." Zero headed back into the snow covered brush and hid so that he could see who opened the door. He was surprised to see Max standing in the doorway. He noticed that once she had let the old man in, she cast a quick surveying glance. He grinned as he saw that she had spotted him and waved, signaling where he and the other X6s were staying. He saw her nod before he turned and made his way back to the others. 

Sandeman glanced over his shoulder and saw only the brush. "What do you see?" He turned back to Max. 

"A friend." Max gestured to the living room. "Logan's just about got dinner ready. Why don't you take a seat." She closed the door trapping in the magnificent aroma coming from the kitchen. 

Sandeman sat down on the sofa, taking in his surroundings. "How's Jondy doing?" He felt responsible for Cameron's treatment of Jondy, even though he hadn't known what was going on at the time. 

Max sat down in the armchair opposite him. "She got home safely. She's not happy about having to take it easy until she's fully healed, but apart from that she's fine." 

Sandeman managed a brief smile. "Good. I thought I had finally found my son when Cameron showed. He was the right age, he had the right color hair and eyes. He even had the birth mark on the back of his neck." He shrugged his shoulders. "I should have known it was too good to be true." 

Max found herself feeling sorry for the old man. She knew what it was like to be searching for your family and constantly come up empty handed. She pushed the feelings aside. "Why was your family targeted? Didn't you start Manticore?" 

Sandeman saw Logan laying the food on the table behind Max. He wondered how much Logan knew. Max didn't appear to be holding anything back from him, so he answered her questions. 

They all moved over to the dinner table before Sandeman began explaining. "When I thought up the idea behind Manticore it seemed the answer to a lot of problems. People were losing family in wars because children were sent into wars ill prepared for what they would face. The concept was that we would create the perfect soldier. It would cut down the casualties of war. This soldier would have animal instincts as well as the best training." 

"You took it for granted that your toy soldiers wouldn't mind being science experiments." Logan pointed out. He always got angry at the conditions Max had been raised in. 

"They weren't meant to be subjected to the experiments that ended up being practiced." Sandeman ran his hand over his face. "I got financial backing for my idea, but tried to turn it down when I realized what the down sides would be. My wife's life was threatened. Rather than risk my wife, I went ahead with Project Manticore. It was named after a mythological creature." 

Max raised an eyebrow at him over her dinner. "I'm a science experiment named after a myth. Gee, that really makes me feel special." Sarcasm was dripping from every word. 

Sandeman continued. "It took a while before we discovered the DNA of your average household feline worked the best with human DNA. It heightened all of the normal human senses needed in combat situations. The backers for Manticore wanted the failed experiments destroyed, but I threatened to pull the plug if they did. It wasn't fair to kill them because they were different." 

"So they were kept in the basement locked away instead," Max added. "We used to call them nomalies. We thought that was where we'd be sent if we were less than perfect." 

Logan frowned. "So they were portrayed as sort of a boogey man. A scare tactic for kids." 

Sandeman nodded to Max. "Your unit was the last one I took part in. Lydecker had been brought on board and the treatment of the surrogate mothers and children was getting worse and worse. My wife had given birth to our son whom we named Cameron and any attempts I made to try and improve the conditions were met with threats to my family." 

"So you hid your family where Manticore couldn't find them," Max guessed. "But when you went back to get them, they weren't waiting for you." 

"It had been five years." Sandeman could remember it as though it were yesterday. "It took me that long to find a way out. It was too dangerous for me to even try and take Joshua and Isaac with me so I left them behind. I still don't know if Manticore got to my family first or if they moved on to stay safe." 

Logan felt for the guy, but Max needed answers and he was going to get them out of Sandeman for her. "What about Max's DNA? Why hasn't she got any junk DNA?" 

"Manticore wanted a soldier that could survive even in disease infested zones. They literally needed the one perfect soldier that could even out last their own unit." Sandeman looked Max straight in the eye. "You were the special one. Lydecker even played favorites with you. I don't think he knew what was so special about you, but he could tell there was something. I kept you a secret so you would be safe. I encoded the secrets to Manticore to your DNA so that there would be one person to stop the madness that was bound to erupt." 

Logan shook his head in disbelief. "Well somebody found out your secret and that put Max's life in even more danger." They had the answers they had wanted, all but two. "What did Renfro want with Max? And why would she tell Max to find you?" 

Sandeman shook his head. "I don't know. I never met anyone called Renfro. She must have joined Manticore after I left." 

"Makes sense." Max looked over at Logan. "Remember when we broke into Manticore to blow up the DNA lab? Lydecker said Renfro was the new director at Manticore." 

Logan shrugged. "Could be she had a lesser position at Manticore and worked her way up." He glanced at Sandeman. "She could have been one of the lab assistants when you were there." 

"Could be." That certainly made sense. Sandeman thought back. "There were two young women that worked as assistants, but I only know them by their first names." It had been so long ago that he was having trouble recalling what they were. "I can't be certain, but I think their names were Liz and Joanna." 

Max recalled seeing an ID card in Renfro's briefcase just before she was shot diving in front of Max. "Elizabeth Renfro. That was her full name." 

Sandeman suddenly remembered her. "Liz was very determined. She was hungry for any knowledge she could get. If I'm remembering correctly, she wasn't much of a team player. Always looking out for number one. That doesn't explain why she told you to find me though, does it." 

Max shook her head. "No. I guess that still leaves me with some unanswered questions." Sure, she had answers as to what her DNA had been designed for, but now she had more questions without answers. 

Logan reached over and grabbed his laptop. "I found out your wife and son moved to Atlanta just before you disappeared from Manticore. Joshua remembered the approximate date you stopped coming to visit him. I'm sorry, I lost the trail there. Could be your wife knew Manticore was following her and took a new identity for safety." 

Sandeman looked at Logan in amazement. "They could still be alive?" He didn't know why, but he felt he could trust Logan. 

"If anyone can find them, Logan can." Max beamed at Logan proudly. He had come through for her on more than one occasion. 

Logan felt his ego expand at her praise. "I don't want to get anyone's hopes up, but I do have a couple of contacts in Atlanta. It would help if you could give me a photo." 

Sandeman reached into his pocket and pulled out a rather worn wallet. "Is this one alright?" He handed a black and white photo to Logan. 

Logan smiled. "This should be fine. We'll let you know if we find anything else out." 

A knock at the door startled them. Max cautiously approached the door and peered out the side window. She frowned slightly. "It's Bugler." She opened the door and smiled at the little boy. "Hey. We were gonna come and see you guys tomorrow." At least that had been her intention, she just hadn't filled Logan in that she had already seen Zero. 

Bugler grabbed her hand. "You gotta come quick. Ralph's bleeding. Bullet says it's too early for the baby to come." He started to tug at her hand so she would follow him. 

Logan grabbed everybody's coat and the first aid kit. This was becoming an automatic reflex for him these days. "I don't know if we can help but we've gotta try." 

The three of them followed Bugler to a nearby house. The four older X6s were happy to see Max, but the urgency of Ralph's condition stopped them from voicing their joy. 

Max turned to Sandeman. "How up to date is your knowledge of the medical profession?" There didn't appear to be enough time to contact Jondy and get her there to take care of Ralph. Sandeman was the best option. "Logan and I have delivered babies, but I think this is out of our league." 

Sandeman took the first aid kit from Logan. "I'm going to need some clean towels, some room to move and your help, Max. Everyone but Max and of course Ralph, I want you out of this room." 

Bullet was about to refuse when Logan placed his hand on the X6s shoulder. "Max will stay with her. Come on, the others won't panic if you talk to them." It was rather obvious that Bullet had assumed the role of leader. Logan was relieved when the X6 man left the room without an argument. 

Max waited for the bedroom door to close before she took hold of Ralph's hand. "Everything's going to be fine." Ralph appeared to calm down at the sound of Max's words. 

Bullet started pacing. They had been sitting in the living room for the past hour. "What's taking so long?" He was afraid not only for the baby's life but for Ralph's as well. 

Fixit put a cup of coffee down in front of Logan. "I'm sure Ralph and the baby are going to be fine, Bullet." She wished she felt as certain as she sounded. 

"Who's the guy in there with Max and Ralph?" Zero tried to break the long silent pauses that kept descending on the living room. "I found him wandering around earlier." 

Logan sipped his coffee. "He used to work for Manticore. Managed to disappear when they threatened his family. We had some questions about Max's DNA and he had the answers." Logan decided it was best not to go into too much detail. 

Bugler sat down beside Fixit. "Is Ralph gonna be alright?" His eyes were wide with fear. All of this was a new experience for the youngster. 

"She's going to be fine." Max walked out of the bedroom. "She's got to stay in bed and off of her feet until the baby's born. Sandeman's going to come by and check on her everyday just in case." 

"Can I go in and see her?" Bullet had been going crazy with worry, not knowing what was happening. 

Max smiled at him. "Sure." She walked over and sat down on Logan's lap. "Don't wear her out." She warned as the other X6s followed Bullet into the room. She felt quite worn out herself. It had been too much of a painful reminder of the baby she had lost herself. 

"You alright?" Logan could guess what was going through Max's mind. He, himself, could easily imagine how Bullet had been feeling. He tightened his hold slightly when Max nodded and laid her head on his shoulder. "How about we say goodnight to everyone and head back to the cabin. 

Max stood and took hold of Logan's hand. "That sounds like a good idea to me." 

They poked their heads around the bedroom door and said goodnight as well as promising they would stop by in the morning. It was in silence they walked back to the cabin, hand in hand, Max leading the way as she could see better in the dark. 

The dinner dishes had been left on the table in their haste to get to Ralph that night. Logan started to clear the table until he felt Max's arms circle his waist from behind him. 

"Can that wait until the morning?" Max laid her cheek against his back. "I'll even help with the washing up." She knew she didn't have to bargain with Logan, but she wanted to forget the events of the later part of the evening. Nobody could help her with that better than Logan. 

"Sure." He turned so that he was facing her. Logan had learned a while ago that Max wasn't real big on voicing her feelings. He had become rather adapt at guessing what was going on inside her and right now she needed to forget what she was and be just a normal girl. "You tired?" He ran his fingers through her long dark hair. 

Max grinned mischievously up at him. "Exhausted. You better take me to bed before I fall asleep on my feet." She burst into giggles when Logan swept her off of her feet into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. Minutes later they lost themselves in each other, all other thoughts had been pushed aside. 

Logan woke when the sun hit his face the next morning. He wasn't surprised to roll over and find Max's side of the bed empty. It was a routine he now had memorized. She would get out of bed, shower, open the curtains so that the light would wake him instead of a piercing alarm and go and switch the coffee machine on. 

He quickly pulled a pair of sweat pants and a tee shirt on and headed to the kitchen. He spotted Max wrapped in a bathrobe, sitting on the windowsill, staring out the window with a cup of coffee between her dainty hands. "Morning." He bent down to kiss her good morning. 

Max smiled up at him. "Morning. What time did you want to head back to Seattle?" 

"Sometime after lunch." Logan went and got himself a cup of coffee. "You want to go and check on Ralph after breakfast? You didn't really get a chance to catch up with everyone last night." He noticed she had cleared the table and washed the dishes while he had been asleep. 

Max nodded. "We can take our time. It's not as though I need the sleep before I go to work and your hours are pretty flexible considering you work from home." 

Logan watched her for a moment. "Are you alright being around Ralph? We don't have to visit if it makes you uncomfortable." He sat down at the table. 

Max moved from the windowsill to join him at the table. "I want to go and see them. I'll be fine. I guess I was just feeling a little sorry for myself." She shot him a sexy smile. "I'll get over it with a little help from you." 

Logan chuckled and shook his head. "You keep looking at me that way, we won't be leaving this cabin anytime soon." He stood and kissed the top of her head. "I'd better get you some breakfast." He walked into the kitchen before he could decide to make good on his threat. 

An hour later they were trudging hand and hand through the snow to the X6s house. Zero was waiting for them on the front porch. "Hey. We thought you'd be here earlier. I was just about to go and make sure you two made it back to the cabin alright." 

Max nodded towards Logan. "I had trouble getting him out of bed." She caught the glimpse of a smile that crossed Zero's face. "How's Ralph doing this morning?" 

"Better." Zero opened the front door to let them in. "That guy Sandeman stayed here last night to make sure she didn't have anymore trouble. He even offered to help with the delivery when the baby's due." 

Logan saw Sandeman come out of one of the back rooms. "Morning. It was lucky you were here last night." 

Sandeman smiled. "I was happy to help. I live nearby so I'm within reach should any problems arise. I don't think Ralph will have anymore problems as long as she rests." 

"I'll keep looking for your wife and son when we get back to Seattle." Logan felt it was the least he could do. There was no way he and Max could have helped Ralph last night. "I'm not promising anything, but if I do find out anything I'll contact you immediately." 

"Thank you." Sandeman was filled with a new sense of hope. "That's all I could ask for." He shook hands with Logan. "I think I'll head home now." He turned to Zero. "Tell Bullet I'll be back this evening to check on Ralph." He waved good-bye to everyone and let himself out. 

Bugler ran into the room. "Max is here!" He yelled out before launching himself at Max for a hug. "Are you staying with us too?" His grin was infectious. 

"Afraid not." Max ruffled his hair, which had grown into a nest of light brown curls. "We'll be here for a couple of hours, but then we've got to go back to the cabin and pack to go back to Seattle. We'll come back and visit after the baby's born though, ok?" She promised. 

Bugler seemed satisfied with her answer. "Come on." He grabbed her hand. "I'll show you my room." 

Logan chuckled as the little boy dragged Max off to see his room. He followed Zero into the living room and chatted to Bullet and Fixit while waiting for Max to reappear. 

The morning flew past and it was with great disappointment on both Max and Logan's parts that they had to leave. They both promised to return when the baby was born. They hadn't brought much with them, so it didn't take long to pack and start their trip home. 

Logan reached for Max's hand while keeping his other hand on the steering wheel. "You regret coming here this weekend?" She had been so quiet in the car. 

Max squeezed his hand. "No. I'm glad we got away somewhere, where we're not being shot at and none of my family are bursting in at inappropriate moments." She giggled. "One more weekend like that and I'll expect it all the time." 

"I don't perform miracles." Logan joked. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. 

"I don't know about that." Max leaned closer to him. "You were pretty damn miraculous last night." She nuzzled her face into his neck. 

Logan managed to loop his arm around her waist. "We are never making it home in one piece with you doing that." He took his eyes off the road long enough to kiss her lips and then went back to concentrating on the road. They traveled the rest of the way back to Seattle that way. There were still a couple of unanswered questions left hanging in the air, but right now they didn't seem to matter. That was a problem for tomorrow. 

_The End_


	22. Your Song

**"Your Song"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Nigel, the drunks, Devon and Alicia however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. _Crash and Burn_ lyrics belong to D. Hayes and D. Jones and come from Savage Garden's CD: Affirmation.

**Summary:**

In an attempt to speed up her romance with Logan, Max searches for the perfect song. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs after "Proof Of Purchase".

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

Max paced back and forth in the living room of her apartment. She knew that she was the one who had wanted to take things slow, but she was beginning to feel as if she and Logan had gone so slowly they had stopped. Normally she would talk things over with Original Cindy, actually Original Cindy would nag her until she talked things over with her. Unfortunately, her friend had gone to visit a relative out of town. She glanced of her watch, it was late so Jondy would be at work. "I need some sisterly advice," she muttered to herself as she dialed the number. 

Nigel shook his head and laughed at his redheaded bartender. "I'm waiting for the day you run out of smart ass replies for all of the guys that keep hitting on you." He picked up the ringing phone. "Hello." He recognized Max's voice instantly. "Hey, Max. Yeah, she's right here." He held the phone out for Jondy. "Jess! Your sister's on the phone." 

Jondy took the cordless phone from her boss and tucked it between her shoulder and her ear. "What's up?" She continued to serve customers while she listened to her sister. 

"What? I can't just call you to make sure you're alright?" Max knew by her sister's silent response that Jondy wasn't fooled for a moment. "Fine. You're the one always beating men off with a stick. How do I get Logan to leave his computer and spend more time with me?" 

Jondy rolled her eyes and smiled to herself. "Got bored with taking things slow, didn't you?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Why don't you take him out somewhere, instead of waiting for him to spoil you? You want to be romantic? Then the two of you need a song." 

Max was confused. "What do you mean we need a song? How the hell is that going to help? Besides Logan likes classical music and I prefer something heavier." 

"Then find something in the middle." With twelve adopted daughters and a set of twins of her own, Jondy was used to coming home to a range of different types of music. "I'll see what I can find at home for you. The idea is that you find the perfect song that every time you hear it, you think of Logan and vice versa." 

Max had to admit it sounded like a good idea. It also peaked her curiosity. "Did you and Devon have a song?" she asked shyly. "I mean, I know he was gay and all, but you two were still really close." 

Jondy couldn't believe how much she still missed Devon. Nobody understood her the way he had. "Not really. He used think that _Maneater_ by Hall and Oats used to describe me in heat. He actually managed to track the song down for me. It's pretty old." 

Max chuckled. "Not very romantic, but I get the picture. So any ideas where I can take him?" 

"Somewhere by the water where you can look up at the stars. Add a bottle of wine, a blanket and a picnic basket to the picture and who knows?" She knew she had given her sister something to think about. "Have I been enough help?" 

"Yeah, thanks. I'll let you know how it goes. Bye." Max hung up the phone. Her sister had been a huge help. Sitting on the floor, she started pulling out CD after CD searching for a song. 

Jondy started running song titles through her head but nothing seemed right for Max and Logan. She looked up as yet another alcohol induced male stumbled towards her. 

"Hello Darling." The man leaned on the bar. "You just met the man of your dreams." He looked very convinced in his statement. 

"Actually, I'm waiting for him to come up for parole." Jondy shot back sweetly. She strutted down the other end of the bar leaving Nigel laughing at the stunned would be suitor. 

Logan stretched his cramping limbs. He had been working most of the night and although he had accomplished a lot, he couldn't help but miss Max's presence. He had agreed with her to take things slow, mainly because he didn't want to scare her off. The apartment felt so empty when she wasn't there. Glancing at the clock, he was surprised to see how late it was. Knowing Original Cindy was away for a couple of days, he picked up the phone and called Max. Ordinarily, he wouldn't call this late in case he woke Original Cindy. 

Max frowned at the phone. _Who would be calling this late at night._ She picked up the phone, still flicking through CDs. "Hello?" 

"Hey." Logan wondered for a moment if he had actually woken her. She sounded a little grumpy. "You weren't asleep, were you?" He became concerned. Max only slept a lot when she was ill. 

"No. Just looking for a song." Max brightened up at the sound of Logan's voice. "You sound tired. Have you been working all night?" 

"Yeah. I just wanted to hear your voice before I turn in." He reached out to touch the photo of Max that he had on his desk. "I wish you were here," he murmured. The photo couldn't compare with the real thing. 

Max's smile broadened. "You need some sleep. If I were there the last thing you'd be doing is sleeping." 

Logan chuckled. He knew she was right. "I'd best say good night then. Good luck finding your song. I love you." 

"I love you too." Max hung onto the phone long after Logan had hung up. Finally she put the phone down and went back to searching for their song. 

Zane's dog looked up as Jondy entered the living room shedding her jacket as she walked. The animal trotted over to its master's sister for a pat on the head. Once it had received the greeting, it returned to sit at Zane's feet. 

Jondy sat down beside her sleeping brother and nudged him. "Is this what you call waiting up for me?" she joked as she watched her brother rub his eyes. 

"Yeah." Zane's brown eyes were full of concern. "Alicia's skin's shedding again. Poor kid. Makes me glad we have feline DNA and not snake." 

"You still going to Seattle tomorrow?" Jondy pulled her red hair into a pony tail. 

"Yeah, why?" Zane could practically hear Jondy's brain ticking over. "What are you up to?" 

Jondy took Zane's hand and pulled him up off the sofa. "We have to find Max and Logan a song. I just want to check on Alicia first." 

Zane clicked his fingers to beckon his dog. "This is going to be a 'you'll know it when you hear it' search, isn't is?" He followed his sister up the stairs. This could take hours or just five minutes, he wished he knew which it was. 

Ten minutes later, Zane and Jondy were sitting cross-legged on the floor. Alicia, who was the youngest of the adopted girls, was curled up beside Jondy with her head resting on Jondy's leg. Zane's dog was laying beside Alicia, it's head on it's paws watching with great interest. 

Zane looked bewildered. "Can we cut this down at all?" 

Jondy shrugged. "I guess. Logan likes classical and Max likes her music on the heavy side. Somehow we have to find a happy medium." She pushed the likes of ACDC, Guns and Roses, Pantera and Metallica aside, but kept Linkin Park as a possibility. She could recall one song that might work. 

Zane separated Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, any Opera and any stage shows from the pile left in front of them. "That leaves us with Britney Spears, Westlife, No Doubt, N'Sync, Stellar, Zed, Tina Cousins, Elton John, Backstreet Boys and a few with various artists." 

Jondy giggled at the selection. "I don't think we'll find what we're looking for on any of these rap CDs." She pushed another handful aside. 

"Call me crazy, but I don't see Logan as a Britney Spears fan." Zane pushed another three CD's aside. 

Alicia looked up at Jondy. "Maybe Daddy has what you're looking for." She sat up and reached into the cupboard where the CD's were kept and pulled out a box and handed it to Jondy. As Jondy opened the box, Alicia pointed to a CD. "He played that one a lot." 

Jondy glanced at Zane before she pulled the CD out of the box. "Savage Garden. Affirmation." She remembered Devon playing the CD while they had been working on a cure for the 'love bug' virus. Handing the disk to Zane, she quickly glanced through the lyrics inside the cover. "Try track five." 

Zane placed the disk in the machine and selected track five before pushing play. He leaned towards his sister to see what the song title was. "Crash and Burn. I thought Max was going for romantic." 

Jondy pointed out the chorus of the song on the disk cover. "It's perfect for Max and Logan." She smiled to herself. "You tell them when you get to Seattle that I'm going to want this CD back. It's only on loan until they get their own copy." 

Zane put his arm about Jondy's shoulders. "You still miss him, don't you?" He didn't need her to answer, he could tell by the look in her eyes that she had a big part of her left hollow when Devon had died. 

"Yeah." Jondy stroked her daughter's hair. The little girl had fallen asleep while the music was playing. "I miss him the most when I'm in a bad mood. He's the only one who can shake me out of those." 

Zane kissed the top of Jondy's head. "I bet he's still watching over you with the blue lady." He stood picking up Alicia as he went. "I'm going to try and get some sleep after I drop Alicia off in her own bed. I'll see you before I go in the morning." He left his sister to her thoughts. He doubted she would ever get over losing Devon. 

Logan woke to the sound of plastic hitting wood. Confused as to what the sound was, he climbed out of bed and followed the sound to his living room. He found Max sitting cross-legged on the floor going through his CD collection. "What are you looking for?" He sat down beside her on the wooden floor. 

"Our song." Max was so deep in concentration that she didn't realize Logan had only just climbed out of bed. "Nothing." She felt disappointed. She looked over at Logan noticing for the first time how disheveled he looked. "It's lunchtime. Are you only just getting out of bed?" 

"Good morning to you too." Logan kissed her before looking at the mess of CD cases on the floor. "What song were you looking for?" 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't matter. I couldn't find it here or at my crib." 

"Jondy found it for you." Zane chuckled as they both jumped. "She wants the CD back when you've got your own copy." He tossed the CD to Max. "Track five." He turned and left as quietly as he had arrived with his dog as always beside him. 

"That was short and sweet." Logan shot Max a puzzled look. 

Max put the disc in the machine, selected the track and pushed play. "He'll probably go and stay with Original Cindy. She's back." At that moment the song started to play. As soon as she heard the lyrics, a smile lit up Max's face. "Perfect." 

_When you feel all alone  
And the world has turned it's back on you  
Give me a moment please to tame your wild, wild heart  
I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you  
It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold.   
When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore _

Let me be the one you call  
If you jump I'll break your fall  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
If you need to fall apart  
I can mend a broken heart  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone 

When you feel all alone   
And a loyal friend is hard to find  
You're caught in a one-way street  
With the monsters in your head  
When hopes and dreams are far away and  
You feel like you can't face the day. 

Let me be the one you call  
If you jump I'll break your fall  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
If you need to fall apart  
I can mend a broken heart  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone 

Because there has always been heartache and pain  
And when it's over you'll breathe again  
You'll breathe again 

When you feel all alone   
And the world has turned its back on you  
Give me a moment please   
To tame your wild, wild heart 

Let me be the one you call  
If you jump I'll break your fall  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
If you need to fall apart  
I can mend a broken heart  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone 

As he listened to the lyrics flowing around them, Logan finally realized what Max had meant when she said 'Our Song'. Every line of the song described their relationship perfectly. Every time one of them had needed help or just someone to be there the other had instinctively done just that. 

He was touched that she had gone to the trouble of finding a song for them even if it had ended up coming from her sister. "You're right. It is perfect." Logan leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. "And so are you." He grinned as Max blushed. He couldn't believe how someone so beautiful, could be so embarrassed by a complement. 

"You're taking the night off tonight." Max wrapped her arms around Logan and started nibbling his neck. "It's not supposed to rain so I'm taking you out for a night time picnic." She climbed into his lap. "Any comments, complaints, questions?" 

Logan shook his head and pulled her closer. "No way am I refusing an invitation like that." He forgot they were still sitting on the floor as he lost himself in kissing the angel in his lap. 

"Did you two get fed up of using the bedroom?" Bling stood behind them in the living room. "I really have to get you two a 'Do Not Disturb' sign." 

Logan stood taking Max with him. "I really have to change the locks in this place." He stormed into his bedroom with Max in his arms, kicking the door shut. 

Bling chuckled as he started put the CD's away. Quickly finishing the tidy up, he found a piece of paper and made a 'Do Not Disturb' sign. Taping it to the apartment door he locked up and headed over to Jam Pony to find Original Cindy. Maybe she knew what had gotten into those two this time. Last time he had heard, the middle of the week wasn't for anything but work. "I guess Max changed her mind about taking things slow." 

"I've gotta get back to work." Max reluctantly reached for her clothes and headed for the shower. "Normal's gonna freak if I don't come back from lunch." 

Logan sat up in the bed. "I could always phone Normal and tell him you've been struck down with a mystery illness that keeps you confined to bed." 

Max quickly toweled herself dry and threw on her clothes. "As appealing as that sounds, it might look a little suspicious when Original Cindy starts the afternoon shift and doesn't know about my mystery illness." She kissed Logan good-bye and raced out the door, giggling at the sign taped to the door as she went. 

Logan decided to shower and dress and try to get some work done so that he could focus all of his attention on Max. He felt a childish grin cross his face. He and Max had a song. Such a simple thing that meant so much to him. It wasn't something he had ever had with Daphne or Valerie. Unable to concentrate on his work, Logan walked over to the stereo and played their song again. 

"Did you enjoy lunch, Boo?" Original Cindy called out as Max rode her bike into Jam Pony. "Ooh don't she blush pretty." She nudged Bling beside her. "When I got back this morning, sister girl here was all moody cause she couldn't find some song." 

"I guess she found it on Logan's living room floor," Bling snickered. "Cause I nearly got an eyeful when I stopped by." 

Max rolled her eyes. "Actually Jondy found it. Zane dropped it off." She remembered her brother was probably at her crib as they were speaking. "Zane's probably staying with us for a couple of days. So don't be surprised if you get home to find Zane and his dog set up on the sofa." 

Original Cindy raised an eyebrow. "And where exactly will I find you set up tonight, girlfriend?" She pretty much knew where Max would be. "And what happened to taking things slow may I ask?" She was enjoying teasing Max. 

Max stood hands on her hips. "I'm not sure where I'll be set up tonight. It depends on how well dinner goes. And we're still taking things slow, just not as slow." Before she could be asked any more questions, she grabbed the parcel Normal was holding out and left. 

"Taking things slow, my ass." Original Cindy blurted out. 

Bling burst out laughing. "Guess it's safe to go visit Logan now." He waved good-bye and headed out the door. 

"Lunchtime's over people," Normal bellowed. "Time to do what I actually pay you for and it ain't sitting on your asses chatting." 

The stars twinkled in the sky above Logan and Max as they sat on the hood of his car. The blanket had been spread out on the car and a picnic dinner complete with candles and wine was squeezed between them. Their song was playing inside the car as they ate. 

Logan couldn't take his eyes off of Max. Her eyes seem to glow betraying her feline DNA that she kept well hidden. He wasn't used to being spoilt like this. Usually it was he who organized romantic dinners and surprises. "I'm not complaining, but what prompted this mid week date?" 

Max shrugged her shoulders, trying to brush his question off as no big deal. "Just felt like it. Thought it would make a change, me organizing dinner for you." She felt self-conscious when Logan kept looking at her. "You're going to give me a complex if you keep staring at me." 

Logan laughed. "Sorry. Can't believe how lucky I am sometimes, that you're here with me." At that moment it started to rain heavily. "I guess that's one way to cool me off." He joked as he helped Max pack up the picnic. 

By the time they got back to Logan's apartment, they were soaked to the skin. "I suppose we're lucky it held off raining until after we had dinner." Max grumbled. It wasn't quite the way she had planned the evening and now she was cold and wet and annoyed. 

"You mean you didn't plan the rain?" Logan joked as he ran his hands up and down Max's arms. He knew she had wanted this evening to be perfect. "I thought that was your way of telling me I needed a cold shower." 

"I'm sorry," Max mumbled. "I can't control the weather. I wanted it all to be perfect." She leaned back against Logan's chest. "At least I didn't try and cook." 

Logan swore under his breath. "Don't you know that as long as you are with me, it's always perfect. Tonight was perfect because you were there and you organized it." 

"You just saying that to get me out of these wet clothes." Max managed a small smile. 

"No, I'm saying it because I mean it." Logan kissed her neck. "Getting you out of those wet clothes would be a bonus," he whispered in her ear. His hands had already crept under her shirt. "Why don't you stay here tonight? I'll even set the alarm so you won't be late for work." 

Max turned to face him. "I think I could probably be convinced to stay. After all, my clothes have to dry out." The heat caused by his hands on her bare skin was drying her clothes pretty quickly. 

Zane waited patiently on the phone while Jondy knocked back yet another unwanted suitor. This one just didn't seem to want to take no for an answer. He laughed as he heard his sister's come back. 

"What's so funny?" Original Cindy put a bowl of food down in front of Zane's dog. "I thought Jondy put you on hold." 

"Nah, I can hear her." Zane responded. "Some idiot just asked her if she was a lesbian cause Jondy turned him down. She said no but she'd be willing to convert if it would get him the hell away from her." 

Original Cindy laughed as well. "Hell, she's more than welcome to join the sisterhood. Anytime." 

Zane became more serious when Jondy got back on the phone. "Yeah, I gave Max the CD and told her which track to play. It must have worked too, cause Bling told Original Cindy he found them making out on the living room floor like they were both in heat." 

Original Cindy tapped Zane on the shoulder. "Give sister girl here." She had a feeling Jondy knew what Max was up to tonight. "Hey Girl. Did sugar change her mind about her slow and steady wins the race theory?" 

Jondy giggled. "Yeah, I think so. She actually phoned me for any suggestions on speeding things up a little. I'm guessing by the fact that Zane says Max isn't home, that it worked." 

"That's my guess." Original Cindy frowned at the rain hitting the window. "Did you suggest Max take Logan out for a picnic? Cause it's pouring with rain." 

"Good." Jondy grinned to herself. "That means Max has to get Logan out of those wet clothes before he catches a cold." 

"Nuf said." Original Cindy shook her head and handed the phone back to Zane. "Your sister is wasted on men. They have no idea what a miracle they have." 

Zane nodded. "Don't I know it." 

Max listened to Logan's ragged breathing. Her own wasn't too steady either. "So I was thinking." She wasn't too sure how to say this. "Maybe we don't need to take things so slow." 

Logan tried to hold back the smile threatening to cross his face. "You want another couple of date nights instead of just the weekend?" 

Max thought about it for a moment. He was letting her set the rules. "Yeah. Sounds like a plan. Is that going to interfere with your work?" 

Logan looked down at her. "You're more important than my work." He was surprised she didn't already know that. "We can take this as slow or as fast as you want." 

Max looked up into his blue eyes. "I think I'm the lucky one here." She leaned up and kissed him. _Maybe I'll get Jondy to teach me how to cook,_ she thought as their song played over and over again in the back ground. 

_The End_


	23. Mother, Where art Thou

**"Mother, Where Art Thou?"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Rebecka Sue Barry, Julia, Christina, Private Merchants and Devon however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

Logan's search for Max's mother turns up more of Manticore's dirty little secrets. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs after "Proof Of Purchase".

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

The psychiatric hospital in Gillette, Wyoming at first glance appeared to be nothing more than a mansion in the secluded area near the forest. As always, appearances were deceiving. Even on paper, the hospital was listed as the Taylor family mansion. It was the perfect place to leave your family problems and forget them. 

Rebecka Sue Barry was unique among the inmates at the hospital. She wasn't just a family problem, she was a government problem. As she sat in her room, gazing at the freedom she should have been basking in beyond the hospital grounds, she longed for the child that had been taken from her and the one that hadn't survived. By now the child would be twenty-two years old and probably totally unaware that she even had a mother. 

She could remember it all, as though it were yesterday. Rebecka Sue Barry had been a surprise to her family in more ways than one. The youngest of five girls had not been planned. She became an even bigger disappointment when she was born a girl, instead of a much anticipated and wanted boy. Unable to attain the approval from her parents that she had always longed for, Rebecka rebelled. 

Her family quickly decided when Rebecka was fifteen, that she was more trouble than she was worth and kicked her out of home. In her determination to prove to her parents that she could survive without them, Rebecka managed to get odd jobs so that she could keep herself off the streets. She managed for five years to keep her head above water. That was when she was approached by the tech from Manticore. 

It had sounded too good to be true. Turned out it was. Rebecka had been recently fired from her witnessing job. Her boss had claimed it was because she was useless at her job. Rebecka felt it was more likely because she wouldn't sleep with him. She had been trying to find a way to pay her rent when the tech from Manticore had found her crying on the street. He had told her of a research facility on the outskirts of town. They were looking for surrogate mothers. All medial, housing and food bills would be paid by a government corporation that was doing research into birth defects. All she would be expected to do was carry the child full term. There were already childless couples waiting to give the baby a good home. In addition to all of her bills being paid, Rebecka would receive a large sum of money to help her once she had given birth. 

Rebecka had grabbed the opportunity with both hands. After all, it was a lot of money being offered for no responsibility. She had never expected to form an attachment to the child growing inside of her. It had never been mentioned that she would be expected to stay at the research facility. But it seemed a small price to pay to start with. 

Captain Hannah Sukova had been assigned to Rebecka's case. The two women got on well and Rebecka began to relax in Hannah's company. Rebecka felt that she was twice the size of all the other mothers, but when she voiced her concerns to Hannah she was told it was perfectly natural for first time mothers to feel that way. 

As the birthing date got closer Rebecka realized she couldn't give up the child growing inside her. Despite Hannah's reassurance, she was sure that she would be having twins. At night in her room she would talk to her unborn children, promising them that she would find a way to give them the lives they deserved. She was positive it wouldn't be at the facility she had heard was called Manticore. Rebecka got the distinct feeling that something evil was going on. Her escape attempts failed, but still she would not give up the hope of getting her children to safety. 

The day she went into labor remained a constant nightmare to this day. She had been rushed into an operating room and her first child had been delivered within the hour. Both Doctors and nurses were surprised when a second child decided to make its appearance. Rebecka reached and screamed for her children. Two beautiful baby girls. Both already had quite a head of hair, one dark brown, the other copper red. Rebecka had been held down by orderlies so that she could not reach her daughters. It was then she saw the panic on Hannah's face. 

Hannah had been holding the redheaded baby. Obviously the baby girl had been hiding behind her sister so she hadn't been seen in the sonograph. "She's stopped breathing." The doctor hurriedly tried to get the infant breathing while Rebecka was taken screaming from the room, childless. 

Later she had been told that the child had died. She had been refused when she demanded to see both babies. A week later she was transported to Wyoming psychiatric hospital. After trying to escape, she was kept sedated. It was almost a year before Rebecka gave up trying to get to her daughter. All she could do was mourn the loss of her children. 

She had heard once that the bond between a mother and her child was so strong that nothing could break it. At times such as now she strongly believed that. She felt as though she could sense when her daughter was happy or in pain. At this very moment there was something wrong. 

Logan woke to find Max having a seizure beside him. Quickly he reached into the bedside cabinet and grabbed her pills. He gently pulled her into his arms and helped her take the pills. This seizure seemed so much worse than any of the others he had seen. He sat with Max in his arms, stroking her forehead until the seizures finally calmed down and stopped. 

"Thanks." Max managed to get the word out. She felt as if she had been hit by a truck. At least it was safe to be with Logan when a seizure hit. He knew exactly what to do to help her and the cuddling time she got from him afterwards was a bonus too. 

Logan kissed her forehead. "Anytime." The phone beside his bed began to ring. "That took Jondy long enough." He picked up the phone, knowing it would be Max's sister checking to see if she was alright. He had only ever heard of that kind of link between identical twins. "Hey, Jondy. What took you so long?" He chuckled as his favorite redhead muttered a few choice words down the phone before explaining her twins were teething. "Teething already? They're not even three months old. They must have inherited your DNA if they're walking and teething already." He handed the phone to Max who was still lying in his arms. 

"Hey Sis, I'm fine." Max knew her sister had sensed something was wrong. "It's just a seizure. I'm lucky Logan knows the routine now." It took her a little while to reassure her sister that she was fine and just needed some sleep. "God, she's such a mom," Max muttered as she handed the phone back to Logan and fell asleep against his chest. 

Logan said goodbye to Jondy and place the phone in its cradle. He gazed down at the sleeping woman in his arms. They had come a long way in the past two years. Now he couldn't imagine his life without her. He made up his mind to talk to Jondy later about finding a more permanent cure for her seizures. Knowing that Max would probably sleep for a while as she always did after a seizure, Logan pulled some clothes on and started working on his computer. This wasn't the way he had planned to spend Saturday morning, but it wasn't as if Max could help being ill. 

Glancing idly through the files on his computer, Logan decided to clear some of the older files out. After about half an hour he stopped to get a cup of coffee and then started going through the folder labeled accounts. This was where he kept everything to do with Max. A smile touched his face as he went through photos taken with the digital camera, still saved in the file. He had kept footage of the break in at Manticore when he thought he had lost Max. The photo he had doctored so that it looked as though Max and her siblings were in Arizona was still there. His favorite photo was of Max surrounded by Jondy's children. He frowned slightly at a file name he couldn't recognize. Opening it, Logan realized he had started the file just after he had convinced Max to work with him. It was the information he had managed to get on her mother, which hadn't been much. 

Logan thought back to the documents he had taken when Max was still trapped in Manticore. Manticore had been registered as a Veterans hospital. Perhaps the psychiatric hospital where Max's mother had been transferred to was registered as something else as well. A thought leapt into Logan's mind. Lydecker was still staying at one of the safe houses. He may have been working at Manticore when Max was born. Perhaps he could help find Max's mother. 

"Logan! You here?" Zane let himself into the apartment with his dog. He was heading back to LA on Sunday so was attempting to spend some time with his sister and her boyfriend. He spotted Logan at his computer and chuckled. "Max is gonna be pissed if she finds you spending your time working instead of fawning over her." 

Logan shut the computer down and went to get a fresh cup of coffee. "Max is sleeping. She had a pretty bad seizure this morning. I think they're getting worse." He poured a cup of coffee for Zane as well as a second for himself before starting breakfast. 

Zane took a gulp of coffee and sat down at the bench. "I think Jondy was going to see if she could find a way to stop Max's seizures. It's a bit more difficult because of the implant. She can't use the same treatment Devon used for her." 

Logan nodded. "I guessed the implant might cause more problems." He dished out some scrambled eggs onto a plate of toast for Zane. "Jondy's got a lot on her plate at the moment, the twins are teething. She sounded a bit aggravated on the phone when I spoke to her this morning." He looked up at Zane who didn't seem surprised that Jondy had already called this morning. 

Zane shrugged his shoulders. "The twins have too much of their mother's DNA in them. I doubt it came as much of a surprise to her when they started developing ahead of schedule. She and Max were the same. He noticed the strange look Logan was giving him. "What?" 

Logan was slightly confused by Zane's last comment. "Max and Jondy aren't twins though. They were just referred to as the Manticore twins because they mimicked each others expressions and movements.' 

Zane shook his head. "When Max was recovering in San Francisco from White hitting her with the truck, Jondy ran a few blood tests. She was checking to make sure the 'love bug' virus couldn't regenerate. It seems she found more than she bargained for. Max and Jondy are fractural twins. It certainly explains a lot. Not even Manticore could come up with the tricks Max and Jondy pull." 

Logan processed what Zane had just told him. "Lydecker must have known about the connection between Max and Jondy. I wonder what else he knows that he hasn't told us. I was hoping he might have some information on what happened to Max's mother. We might even be able to track down your mother as well." Logan saw the look of apprehension on Zane's face. "Sorry, I took it for granted that you'd want to at least know who your mother was." 

Zane shrugged his shoulders. "I guess. We never knew what it was like to have a mother so it didn't seem important. I sort of take for granted that Jondy's a good mother cause the kids at her place always seem happy." 

Logan nodded. "Jondy's a great mother. Her children always come first and they're never left in any doubt that she loves them. My Mom was the same. She always made sure that we spent some quality time together as a family. She never got tired of listening and she always had the solution for any problem I had." 

Zane had to admit that sounded pretty great, but he knew from experience that not all mothers were that wonderful. None of his foster mothers had been that great. "She sounds like a great mom." 

Logan nodded. "She was. I guess I was one of the lucky ones." He saw Max walk into the room. "Hey. You feeling better." He put his arm around Max's waist and kissed her forehead. 

"Yeah. I'm still a little fuzzy." Max leaned against Logan. "I was gonna call Jondy back. She sounded a little strange this morning. I don't think it has anything to do with the twins teething." 

Zane poured Max a glass of milk and offered her his seat. "I think she misses Devon. I'll give her a call. It's been almost a year since he died." 

Max nodded. "You're probably right. She hasn't come close to anybody else since Devon died. I thought it was because of the kids, but Julia told me Jondy barely leaves the house except for work and family outings." 

Logan thought back to when they had been in San Francisco helping Max get back on her feet. "I don't think I ever saw Jondy leave the house except for work the last time we were in San Francisco. The first couple of days I thought it was because she was in heat." 

Zane shrugged his shoulders. "We weren't supposed to be emotional, maybe Jondy's struggling with accepting Devon's death." 

Max felt guilty. She should have realized her sister was still suffering. "She said she was lucky that Julia was like a mother to her otherwise she couldn't have coped. I guess I assumed Jondy was telling me she was fine." 

Logan decided it would be best if he changed the subject slightly. He had a feeling that Max's seizures hit her when she was upset. "Do you feel up to visiting Lydecker? I thought he might be able to answer some questions about your mother. It could help us find the other X5's that are still out there somewhere." 

Max was surprised. It had been a while since Logan had investigated into her past, so she had thought that he had abandoned the search. "Sure. Just give me a couple of minutes to shower and get dressed." Ever since Hannah had told her that her mother had fought to keep her, Max had wondered what she was like. Now maybe she would have a chance to find out. 

Donald Lydecker sat starring at the well worn photo in his hand. He and Christina had been so young when they had married. He could still picture their wedding day as clearly as though it had only just happened. Every time he saw Max, he could see Christina's big brown eyes starring back at him. The expression wasn't the same, but it was still the little part of his wife he had managed to keep alive. 

A knock at the door dragged him from his thoughts. Hastily putting the photo away, he checked to see who his visitors were before opening the door. "I was wondering how long it would be, before you turned up looking for more answers." He couldn't see any other reason why Logan, Max and Zane would be visiting. Instinct told him that Logan Cale wouldn't be kicking him out of the safe house, while White was still stalking Max and Jondy. "Sandeman come up short with solutions?" He knew they had already seen Sandeman. He had tried to contact them the previous weekend, only to be told they were out of town. 

"What do you know about my mother." Max marched right past Lydecker into the living room. "I know she tried to get away from Manticore before Jondy and I were born." 

Donald Lydecker was stunned. He hadn't realized Max knew that she and Jondy were actual twins. "How long have you known about your sister?" 

"Long enough." Logan sat down in an armchair and pulled Max into his lap. He wasn't about to let on that he himself had only found out that morning about Max and Jondy being real sisters. "You haven't answered Max's question." 

Zane sat down on the sofa. He still didn't trust Lydecker, but for some reason Maxie needed to know her mother and if he could help then nothing was getting in their way. "Logan found out Max's mother was moved to a psychiatric hospital. Where is it?" He had brought along his dog who started to growl right on cue. 

Lydecker sat down to face them. "Before I tell you, there's something you should consider first. Your mother, Max, is under the impression that only one of you survived. Jondy stopped breathing just after she was born. We had no idea your mother was even expecting twins." 

"Jondy always did manage to hide right under your nose." Max's face remained expressionless. "You always made out that she was such a failed experiment. The truth is, she was just a big surprise from day one that wasn't planned." 

Lydecker nodded. "Because of your sister's tendency to stop breathing, something I now know is a distracting mechanism, it was assumed we would never be able to send her out into the field. Manticore didn't think that she would live to see her tenth birthday. Because of her defects, a decision was made that she would not be twinned." 

Zane could see where this was leading. "Only they weren't defects and because you never expected Jondy to make it another year, you didn't see the point of letting her mother have one of her daughters back only to have her die." Zane shot Lydecker a sarcastic smile. "How noble of you to think of Max's mother's feelings." 

Logan shook his head. "It's not our decision to make. It's Jondy's decision if we tell her mother she's still alive." Logan knew that Jondy considered Julia as much her mother as she was Devon's. "For now, let's start with a name before we ask for any decisions to be made." 

Lydecker nodded his agreement. "Rebecka Sue Barry." It wasn't a name he would forget in a hurry. She had been the only surrogate that had actually wanted to keep her babies. The others had grabbed the money and run. "Until you have the decision from Jondy, I'd prefer to keep the location disclosed." 

Max never took her eyes off of Lydecker. She reached into Logan's pocket and pulled out his cell phone. Pushing the speed dial number, she waited for her sister to answer the phone. "Hey. It's me. I need to know something. We might be able to find our mother. There's just one problem." 

"She thinks I'm dead and you want to know if you should tell her otherwise." Jondy finished for her. She glanced over to where Julia was feeding the twins. For most of her life Julia had basically been Jondy's mother and she wasn't sure she wanted to change that. "Check how stable she is first. If the news is going to push her over the edge, it's better I remain dead. If she's fine then it will be her choice if she wishes to meet me." 

"Fair enough." Max knew where her sister was coming from. "I'll let you know what happens. Are you alright? You sound kinda down." 

Jondy smiled at her sister's concern. "I'm fine. It's probably about time I got some sleep that's all. I'll call you later to find out how everything went." 

"Ok." Max didn't feel reassured. "I'll talk to you later." As she hung up the phone, she started to work out when she could next get to San Francisco. She looked up to find three pairs of eyes watching her. "Jondy says it depends on our mother's metal health. If there's a chance it could make her ill then she said it would be best if Jondy remained dead to her." 

Logan turned his gaze back to Lydecker. "Ok, spill. Where did Manticore send Rebecka? If she was moved, then we'll find her." They were so close that he wondered if Lydecker would change his mind and not give them the information they wanted. 

"Last time I heard, she was in a psychiatric hospital that was registered as the Taylor mansion." Lydecker had only been there once. "The security's pretty tight. Now that Manticore's been destroyed it could be even tighter." 

Zane glared at Lydecker. "We'll find a way in." He was already working out what they would possibly need in his head. "Logan, have you got somewhere Max's mother can get medical attention if she needs it?" They had to think of the possibility that twenty odd years trapped in a mental hospital may have done some serious damage to Rebecka. 

Logan nodded. "I'm sure Sebastian can help out. He has the facilities and the medical staff. I would suggest bringing Jondy to Seattle, but that could make matters worse if Rebecka guesses Jondy's her dead daughter." 

Max had to agree. "Jondy's got a lot on her plate at the moment. I don't want to add to that if we don't have to." She was starting to feel a little excited. It looked as though she would finally be meeting her mother. 

"Let's go." Logan gently nudged Max to stand up so that he could move. "I should be able to download the blueprints to the hospital, once we've found it." He nodded to Lydecker. "Thanks for the help." 

"Thanks for the place to stay," Lydecker replied. There was no telling when it would be safe to return to his own home. "I appreciate you fetching my things." Not long after he had been situated in the safe house, Lydecker had wanted to go back and get a few things from his home. Logan had asked one of the X5s to fetch a few items, knowing it would be less likely an X5 would be seen. 

"No problem." Logan took hold of Max's hand and headed for the door. He still didn't like having Max too close to Lydecker. Max had told him that Lydecker had managed somehow to keep a little bit of his wife alive in Max. It creeped Logan out, the way Deck would look at her sometimes. But Max was not a woman you could wrap up in cotton wool and protect. So Logan kept his fears to himself. 

Zane pulled out his cell phone when they all got in Logan's car. He dialed Jondy's now popular number. "Hey sis. I hear the twins are teething. I can head back to San Francisco if you want some help." His face was incredibly serious as he listened to his sister. "Are you sure, Jondy?" He didn't look convinced at what his sister was telling him. "Alright. Promise me you'll call me or Max if it gets to be too much." He obviously got the promise, so said good-bye and hung up his phone. 

Max glanced over her shoulder at her brother. "It's the anniversary of Devon's death in a couple of weeks. I'll see if I can get some time off work so that I can visit San Francisco." 

Logan drove in silence. He remembered finding Jondy curled up on the floor crying the night Devon had died. It was rare that any of the X5s shed a tear. He knew that Jondy kept herself busy so that she didn't have to think about the friend that had been taken from her. "I'll drive you to San Francisco," he finally spoke to Max. 

"Thanks." Max smiled at him. "Now let's go find my mother." 

Logan fetched the records he had stolen when Max had been trapped inside Manticore. Sure enough the Taylor mansion was listed on them. "Got an address." He called out to Max and Zane. "Now let's see if I can find the blueprints." 

Moments later the threesome were looking over the downloaded blueprints. The grounds of the mansion were extensive and would be surely guarded. There was also a possibility of it being surrounded by an electric fence. The inside was like a lock box but Logan felt if he could get into the computer system that obviously would have been installed when the mansion was converted, then it would be simple for Max and Zane to get Rebecka out. 

While Max and Zane packed the van for the rescue, Logan contacted Sebastian to arrange for Rebecka to stay and receive medical care. It had been decided that Max and Zane would go in over the fence once they had driven by the mansion to get a quick look at what they were facing. Not knowing what condition Rebecka was in, they had planned to bring her out via the front door. Logan would be monitoring their movements and would disarm any alarms from the van. They would wait until it was dark, so that they had more cover. Zane decided to take his dog for a walk so that the couple had some time alone. 

"Thanks for being so understanding." Max sat beside Logan on top of the space needle. "Not every boyfriend has to help break his girlfriend's mother out of a psychiatric hospital." 

Logan put his arm around Max's shoulders. How he hated heights, but somehow it wasn't so bad with her beside him. "It's fine. I wish you had told me about you and Jondy being blood related. I found out from Zane over breakfast." 

Max frowned at him. "I thought you knew. Jondy was yelling loud enough that she was just another of Manticore's dirty little secrets, when she found out. Does it make a difference?" 

"No, it doesn't make a difference." Logan could vaguely remember Jondy yelling about something, but he hadn't really been paying attention at the time. "Jondy and you are family, nothing changes that." 

Max relaxed. "I can't believe I'm actually going to meet my mother." Her lovely brown eyes filled with concern. "Do you think she'll still want me? What if she doesn't remember she even had a kid." 

Logan pulled her closer. "Relax. I'm sure Rebecka never forgot you. The only problem I can see, is if you tell her about Jondy being the daughter she was told had died." 

"I guess." Max thought about the child she had lost. She wished there was a possibility her child could still be alive. Pushing the thought aside she took hold of Logan's hand. "Come on. It's time to go." 

Logan pulled the van up under the cover of some trees before climbing into the back. Tapping a few keys, he hacked into the security camera's surrounding the mansion. "Ok. I'm in. It looks as though the clearest side is on the right of the mansion." 

Max leaned over his shoulder. "Can you take those three cameras out? We need to know which room Rebecka's in." She watched as Logan expertly tapped into the system to put a loop in the camera feeds and hacked into the records to find Rebecka's location. "God, you're so sexy when you do that," Max joked. 

Zane chuckled. "Do you want me to take the dog and leave you two alone?" This was so unlike their Manticore training. 

Logan grinned. "Rebecka Sue Barry. She's upstairs, third floor, room in the back right corner." It wasn't until Max and Zane jumped out of the van, that Logan recalled the last time he had watched her leave like this. He looked down at Zane's dog. "They're coming back safe, right?" The dog gave Logan's hand a lick. He patted the dog's head. "Thanks for the reassurance." 

Max and Zane walked up to the fence and leapt over it easily. There were only two guards on the right side of the mansion, so it didn't take long to dispose of them. They climbed up the side of the building silently until they found the window to Rebecka's room. The window had bars across it. Zane shook the bars slightly before reaching into Max's backpack and retrieved the small explosives she had packed. Quickly he positioned the explosives and moved far enough away from the window so that he wouldn't get hit by any flying metal. Checking that Max had moved herself a safe distance away, he pushed the button on the detonator. 

A small bang echoed into the night alerting the guards. Logan had already hacked into the alarm system, so any attempts to reach security inside the mansion was useless. Zane pulled the bars free of the window and waited a moment for Max to kick the window in. Swinging into the room, they found a woman with long brown hair and frightened brown eyes huddled in the corner of the room. 

Zane ran to the door. It was on a digital lock. "Logan. I need the door opened," he spoke over his coms while he watched Max help her mother to stand. A moment later the door clicked open. "Let's go Ladies. The family reunion can wait till we're out of here." 

Rebecka realized who the young woman holding onto her was. "My little girl." She reached out and touched Max's face. "You're so beautiful." 

Max smiled at Rebecka. "How about we get you out of here before the guards come to see what all the noise is about." She took her mother's hand and followed Zane out of the door. 

Zane glanced into the room next to Rebecka's as he passed it. Something caught his attention. The woman in the room was doing push ups as if following some sort of exercise programme. "Logan. Who's in the room next to Rebecka's?" 

"What's wrong?" Max surveyed the hallway for any unwanted visitors. Glancing in the window in the door, she saw what Zane had seen. 

Logan's voice came across the coms. "There's no name, just a number. It could be a barcode number. 331450074656, somebody you know?" 

"Tinga." Max flashed back to her sister dying in her arms. "Logan, open the door." She had thought Zack was dead and yet he was still alive. There was no telling what Manticore had done to Tinga. 

Zane banged on the door to signal Tinga. He saw instant recognition in his sister's eyes. "Max, start making your way out. Tinga and I will be right behind you." 

Max nodded as the door to Tinga's room clicked open. As she started down the stairs still holding her mother's hand, they ran into a group of guards coming up the stairs. Bracing her free hand against the stair railing, Max kicked the front guard in the stomach creating a domino effect with the rest of the group. "Zane! Get a move on." 

Rebecka gasped in amazement. "Where did you learn to do that?" She was practically being dragged down the stairs by her daughter. When Zane jumped from the top of the stairs over the fallen guards to where she and Max were standing she rephrased her question. "What the hell did they do to you at Manticore." 

"I'll explain later." Max waited for Tinga to join them before heading for the front door. Their escape route had been blocked by the guards. "Got anything in your bag of tricks Big Brother?" 

Zane grinned and pulled a can of tear gas out of his bag. "Everybody take a deep breath." He threw the can into the entrance of the mansion. As soon as the entrance filled up with smoke, he signaled to the others to follow him. Instead of going out the front door, he headed for one of the side rooms. Their change of tactic was completely covered by the smoke. Zane kicked in the door and found what looked like an office. 

Max let go of her mother's hand long enough to pick up a chair and throw it through the large picture window. Clearing the glass from around the window frame, Max waited for Zane to jump through before helping Rebecka out. Zane carried Rebecka over to the fence so that she wouldn't cut her feet on the broken glass. Tinga and Max jumped through the shattered window before they all ran to where Logan had pulled up the van. 

Tinga climbed in the front of the van while Zane, Max and Rebecka jumped into the back. Logan floored the gas pedal and drove into the night. 

"Sir," Private Merchants addressed White cautiously. "I have some news that may interest you." He waited for White to turn and face him. "There was a break in at the psychiatric hospital. Two of the inmates have escaped." 

"Why would that interest me?" White looked at Private Merchants as though he was a bug to be squashed. 

"It's the inmates that escaped Sir." Private Merchants tried to hide his nervousness. "They are Rebecka Sue Barry and X5 656." 

White was confused. "What's the connection?" The name and the number meant nothing to him. 

Private Merchants took a deep breath. "X5 656 is also know as Tinga to her X5 siblings. Rebecka Sue Barry is the surrogate that carried X5 452 and X5 210. Their connection is X5 452 and X5 210." 

White hit the desk with his fist. "Why weren't they under heavy guard?" He dismissed Private Merchants with a wave of his hand. "Never mind. I'll look into it myself." 

Max sat opposite her mother in Sebastian's clinic. She wasn't sure how Rebecka would react to the story of her life that she had just told her. It wasn't everyday you found out the child you had given birth to twenty-two years ago was a transgenic freak. 

Rebecka shook her head. "I knew there was something they weren't telling me. I couldn't figure out why they were so opposed to me keeping you. They wouldn't even let me see your sister or tell me how she died." 

Max decided to let Rebecka know about Jondy. "She's still alive. Jondy has twins of her own." 

Rebecka looked at Max in amazement. "She stopped breathing. The doctors were surprised when she was born in the first place. They said she must have been hiding behind you." 

Max giggled. "Jondy's always hides right in front of people. I don't know how she does it with that red hair of hers." She became serious. "Manticore used her as a distraction. Sometimes she would stop breathing to distract the enemy from the others." 

Rebecka reached out and took her daughter's hand. "I tried to get away before you were born. Even after they took you away from me, I tried to get to you but they kept sedating me." 

Max nodded. "Hannah told me you tried to keep me." She saw Logan waiting outside the room. "I'd better go and let you get some sleep. We can talk more tomorrow. I'll even get a call through to Jondy for you." 

Rebecka smiled. "I'd like that." She glanced over at Logan. "He seems like a good man. It's obvious he loves you." 

Max smiled at Logan. "Yeah, I got really lucky meeting Logan. He knows all about my DNA and still loves me. There's not many guys like that." She cautiously hugged her mother good bye. "You'll be safe here. I'll see you tomorrow." She walked out of the room into Logan's outstretched arms. 

"You alright?" Logan kissed Max gently. "Zane's going to take Tinga back to Original Cindy's once Sebastian has given her the all clear." 

Max snuggled against Logan's chest. "I got my mom and my sister back in one day. I guess my luck is changing for the better. You gonna take me home?" 

Logan smiled down at her. "You bet. You told Rebecka about Jondy, didn't you?" He waited for Max to nod. "Perhaps she can come with us when we go to San Francisco." 

Max beamed at the idea. "You just think of everything, don't you." 

Logan chuckled. "I have my moments. Come on, the sooner we get home, the sooner you get some rest and visit with your Mom and sister. You might want to let Charlie and Case know that Tinga's still alive." 

"For once I get to be the bearer of good news." Max walked down the corridor holding Logan's hand. "I could get used to that." 

_The End_


	24. Nightmares

**"Nightmares"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Devon, Julia, Rebecka, Kera, Alicia, Holly, Mya, Belinda, Jondy's twins, Emma and Celeste however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

Jondy's rare moments of sleep are haunted by nightmares. When Max senses her sister's fear, she must find a way to help Jondy confront the emotions she has kept hidden for over a year. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs after "Proof Of Purchase".

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

She lay fast asleep, something that was unusual for her. Her long hair lay in waves across the brightly colored pillowcase. She stirred slightly as she felt his breath gently caress her neck. A smile lit up her pale face when his lips followed the trail his breath had left. Never opening her eyes she rolled onto her side to get closer to him. His kisses grew more and more hungry the closer he got to her lips. As his mouth feasted on hers, frantic hands tore at the already flimsy nightdress in a desperate attempt to get closer to her skin. 

A shot rang out and she glanced nervously around her. She was no longer in her bedroom, but fully dressed in the forest. A man lay at her feet with his face turned towards the ground. Even though she couldn't see his face, she knew who he was. "No!" Her scream echoed around the forest. 

She knelt down beside the body on the ground, but as her knee touched the earth the body had disappeared and was replaced with a grave and a headstone. Her fingertips brushed the name on the tombstone as if lightly caressing the face of the man it belonged to. "Don't leave me." Her voice was a frightened whisper in the dark night. 

A hand reached out to touch her shoulder. She turned to find herself face to face with Ames White. "I'll never let you go." He snarled at her. At that point she woke up. 

Max jerked awake. "Jondy." Her abrupt movement also woke Logan. As she reached over her startled partner to get the phone, Max mentally kicked herself for not visiting her sister sooner. 

"I'm fine. It was just a nightmare." Jondy didn't even have to check who her caller was. "Did I wake you?" Max and Jondy had always been able to pick up when something was wrong with the other. 

"Yeah, but I wasn't sleeping that soundly." Max snuggled back against Logan's chest. "I woke Logan by accident as well. So what was this dream about?" 

Jondy walked past each room, her cordless phone in her hand, checking on her children as she spoke to her sister. "It's not important. How's Tinga doing?" She had been as surprised as Max to find out that Tinga was still alive. 

"She doesn't remember much after Brin taking her back to Manticore. At least that's where she thought they were heading. Then she woke up in the psychiatric hospital." Max shuddered at the thought of what Renfro had done to Tinga. "Maybe it's for the best that she doesn't remember." 

Jondy stopped outside the room that had been Devon's. "There's nothing to say her memory won't come back at some point." She opened the door to the room and sat in the doorway. She hadn't set foot in this room since Devon had died. "Did Zane take her back home to Charlie and Case?" 

"Yeah." Max smiled as she recalled Case's excited voice thanking her for keeping her promise to get his Mom back. "It was a bit of a shock for Charlie, especially since we had told him Tinga was dead. They phoned here last night. Case was telling me everything they had done since Tinga came back. I think they're gonna be alright." 

"That's great." Jondy's mind wandered back to the hospital the day Devon had died. He had asked her not to run from him and she had let herself believe there would be a happily ever after for them. Life was cruel that way. It gave you what you longed for and then snatched it away from you. "Tell them to keep their heads down. White will stop at nothing to destroy us all." 

"They know that." Max frowned. It wasn't like Jondy to be so negative. "Are you sure you're alright?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jondy wasn't really listening to Max now. "I'll call you tomorrow. Say hi to Logan for me." She hung up the phone before Max could ask any more questions. 

"Jondy says hi," Max muttered to Logan. She turned her head to find him watching her. "What?" 

Logan could tell something about Jondy's side of the conversation had worried Max. "It's just as well we planned to go to San Francisco tomorrow." He glanced at the clock. "I mean today." He had managed to get an extra sector pass for Rebecka, who was getting quite excited about meeting her other daughter. "Are you sure this is a good time for Rebecka to meet Jondy?" 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "It's too late to cancel now." She wasn't sure if Rebecka would see them asking her to delay meeting Jondy as some sort of rejection or not. "I explained to her about Devon so I'm sort of hoping that she'll understand if Jondy isn't her usual bubbly self." 

Logan thought back to the camping trip that Devon had been fatally wounded on. "You know, I always got the distinct impression that Jondy and Devon were more than just really good friends. They knew each other too well." 

Max knew what Logan meant. "Maybe I can get Jondy to talk to me about Devon when we get to San Francisco. She's bottling something up inside of her. That can't be good, even for an X5." 

Julia had heard Jondy moving around the house. Years of knowing the young woman had attuned her hearing to the X5's almost silent steps. She wasn't surprised to find Jondy sitting in the doorway of Devon's room. "You've never been in there since my son died, have you?" 

Jondy shook her head. "I don't want to disturb anything. I know he's gone but it feels as though if I move anything or touch anything, then I'll destroy the memory of him as well." She looked down at her hands and shrugged. "It's stupid, I know." 

Julia sat down beside Jondy and took hold of one of her hands. "It's not stupid, I understand. You have to let go one day. It doesn't have to be today." Julia had, had a rare relationship with her son where they talked about just about everything. She chuckled as she recalled one conversation. "Devon told me just after the two of you adopted the girls, that you were convinced you turned him gay." 

A tiny smile crept onto Jondy's face. "I remember that." She rolled her eyes. "We both got drunk, ended up sleeping together and when we both sobered up in the morning, Devon told me he was gay. I was sure it was all my fault. It took Devon a month to reassure me that he was gay before we slept together and that he still loved me, he just wasn't in love with me." Jondy chuckled. "Manticore would have been so disappointed in me. So insecure, afraid of my own shadow." 

Julia remembered the little girl Jondy had been. When Devon had brought the frightened little girl home with him, it hadn't been hard to believe that she had runaway from an abusive home. Julia had, had to swear to her son that his new friend would be safe with them. "I'd never seen anyone hold Devon's attention like you did. When he brought you home, he insisted on looking after you. For the first couple of days, he wouldn't even let me near you." 

Jondy nodded. "I had no idea what it felt like to be taken care of by somebody who expected nothing in return." She frowned at Julia. "When did you figure out Devon was gay?" 

Julia laughed. "It was hard not to notice that Devon was more interested in your boyfriends than he was in any girls." She smirked at Jondy. "The two of you certainly put on a convincing act of being a couple every time I came to visit." 

Jondy looked wistful. "It wasn't hard. It felt as though we had been together forever. I always thought if we were ever separated, it would be because Manticore caught up with me and took me back." 

Julia stood to go back to her room. "He'd want you to go on living." She stroked Jondy's hair. "Devon wouldn't want you to spend your life mourning him." She went to try and get some more sleep, leaving Jondy to her thoughts. 

"Everything alright?" Logan asked Max as she got back into the car. 

Max nodded. "Joshua wanted to go with us. I promised him he could come next time. He seemed to cheer up when I told him Original Cindy would come by every day." 

Logan pulled the car out onto the street and started driving towards San Francisco. They had started out early so that they would make it to Jondy's by lunchtime. "You know we'll have to find a way for Joshua to get out more. It must be pretty boring for him stuck in that house all day." 

Rebecka listened to Max and Logan talk to each other. She couldn't believe they had only known each other for a couple of years. They seemed so comfortable with each other. Eager for some more information about her other daughter, Rebecka broke the comfortable silence that had fallen in the car. "So do Jondy's twins look like her or Devon." 

"Devon." Logan answered. "But there seems to be an overwhelming amount of Jondy's DNA in them. That may change though." He was wondering if they all saw the twins as different to other children because they knew about Jondy's altered DNA. 

"I don't know." Max glanced over at Logan. "I think Ben has a lot of Jondy's features but he does have Devon's green eyes." 

Rebecka giggled. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see for myself." Her only concern about meeting Jondy was that her daughter might prefer Devon's mother to her. After all, Julia Saunders had been a mother to Jondy in just about every sense. 

Logan caught the look on Rebecka's face in his rear vision mirror. "Don't worry. Jondy may not be as forth coming as Max was when you first met. She has a big heart though. You have nothing to be nervous about." 

Julia watched her grand daughters from the doorway of the living room. They were all huddled together in a whispered conversation. "What are you up to?" She saw twelve guilty looking young faces look up at her. 

Holly shot a quick look at the others before she spoke. "We were wondering if Mom would take us to visit Daddy today." She knew Jondy had avoided letting them go near Devon's grave for their own safety, but it had been a year. 

Alicia gathered up her courage as well. "If Mom doesn't want to go, we understand. Perhaps you could take us instead." 

Julia looked down at the hopeful little faces watching her. "Why don't you ask your mother once she's finished changing the twins. If she feels uncomfortable taking you, then I'm sure Kera or I can go with you." 

Kera and Jondy walked in at that moment carrying the twins. Jondy cast a glance at all of the children. "So where are we going today?" It had become a routine for Jondy to take the girls out somewhere on Saturday morning. 

Celeste was the one that decided to ask. "We want to visit Daddy." 

Jondy was a little surprised at the request. "If that's where you want to go. Better go and get your jackets. We can't stay for long though, Kera reminded me Aunty Max and Uncle Logan are visiting today." 

There was a mad rush of children as they went to grab their jackets before Jondy could change her mind. Kera watched her friend as they strapped the twins into a baby buddy. "Are you alright with this? Julia and I can take them if you want." 

Jondy smiled at her friends concern. "No, it's fine. I can't avoid this visit forever." She pushed the baby buggy towards the door, calling the girls as she went. 

The closer they got to San Francisco, the more nervous Rebecka became. She was amazed to find that Max hadn't been joking when she said Jondy lived in a hotel. "Jondy really owns this place?" She glanced at Max. "How could she afford it?" 

Max giggled. "You wouldn't believe the tips she gets at the bar. She and Devon have always had to keep a low profile, so they didn't really splash out on expensive dinners and outings. When they adopted the girls, they both had quite a bit of money saved." 

Logan turned off the car and got out to unpack their luggage. "I can't see Max or Jondy ever having trouble making ends meet." They hadn't filled Rebecka in on the X5s extra curricular activities as yet. 

Julia met them all at the door. "You're earlier than we expected. Jessica took the children to visit Devon." She still used Jondy's alias. She saw the look on Max's face. "The children wanted to go." 

Max had grown concerned about her sister, even more so since their phone call in the early hours of that morning. "How is my sister really?" She followed Julia up the stairs. 

"You know your sister better than I do." Julia smiled over her shoulder at Max. "She keeps her emotions locked up tight. Devon was the only one I ever saw with the key." 

Logan dropped the bags in the appropriate rooms. "How long do you think Jessica and the children will be? I think Rebecka's been getting sort of nervous about meeting Jess." 

Julia shook hands with Rebecka. "I'm sure they won't be long. Why don't we go and see if Kera has made some coffee? It will give you a bit of time to get used to the house." 

Max squeezed her mother's hand. "If you get lost just whistle. Jondy or I will hear you." 

The twelve girls stood around Devon's grave looking at each other, a flower in each of their hands. Mya shrugged her shoulders. "What do we do now?" 

Jondy chuckled at the bewildered look on all of their faces. "I thought you had this all worked out." She crouched down at the end of the grave beside the baby buggy. "Hey Devon." She placed a flower on the grave. "The girls wanted to come and visit." She saw the girls watching her as if she were insane. "They're growing so fast, aren't they. It's a good thing you left me the twins to keep me occupied." She laughed recalling her discussion with Julia in the early hours of the morning. "I can't believe you told your mother that I thought that I had turned you gay." 

Belinda seemed to catch onto what her mother was doing. "Hi Daddy. I got a 98 on my English paper and my friend Kyra has invited me to her birthday party." She placed her flower on the grave and moved over to where Jondy was crouching so her sisters could have their turn. 

One by one each of the girls followed Jondy's lead and soon the grave was completely covered with brightly colored flowers. Emma looked at the other graves. "Look. Nobody else has as many flowers as Daddy. That means he's loved more than anybody else, right, Mom?" 

Jondy hugged her daughter. "That's right. Your Dad knew how much he was loved, he loved all of you more than anything." She looked at her watch. "Come on. Aunty Max will come looking for us if we don't get back soon." 

Each of the girls waved goodbye to the grave and followed their mother back to their home. 

Max heard the front door open and close and the sound of multiple footsteps. "They're home." She sat on the sofa cushioned against Logan's chest. 

Rebecka observed from an armchair, twelve young perfectly behaved girls walk into the room and hug Julia and Kera. All of a sudden they seemed to focus on Max and Logan as the illusion of perfection was shattered by high-pitched joyful squeals as the girls launched themselves at Max and Logan for hugs. Rebecka felt a twinge of envy as she wondered if the children would ever react that way to her. 

Finally untangling themselves from the excited children, Max and Logan peered over at the doorway. Logan nudged Max. "She knows she freaks me out when she does that." 

Max giggled, understanding what Logan meant. "That's probably why she does it." 

Rebecka turned slightly to see what they meant. She gasped in amazement when she saw the stunning redhead leaning against the doorframe the same way she had seen Max do. Beside her in a baby buggy were two beautiful babies. 

Jondy walked into the room. "Girls. Come here a minute." She waited for her daughters to gather around her. "You remember how Daddy explained that we didn't know who my mother was, so Grandma was a Mom to both of us." Twelve young heads nodded. "Well, Uncle Logan helped Aunty Max find our real Mom." She nodded towards Rebecka, instinct had told Jondy who she was. "There she is over there." 

A repeat performance of the greeting given to Max and Logan was bestowed upon Rebecka. Jondy shook her head in amusement and went to hug Max and Logan. Once the girls had settled down, Jondy got their attention again. "Everyone in the dinning room. Kera's got lunch ready." She had been able to smell the food as soon as she walked in the front door. She smiled hello at her mother but made no move to hug her, she wasn't ready for that yet. 

Rebecka spent the rest of the day getting to know her grandchildren, Julia and Kera. Jondy had been called into work so she hadn't spent a lot of time with Rebecka. She was hurt that her second daughter kept her distance. Max had warned her that might be the case. 

When Jondy got home that night she did her usual check on the children. Unfortunately her feline hearing enabled her to hear what was going on in Max and Logan's room. She grinned and shook her head. "Logan's never getting any sleep tonight," she muttered under her breath. In her own room Jondy paced back and forth. She was too wound up to sleep and she didn't really need sleep anyway. 

Finally she decided to go for a walk. Jondy had instinctively walked to Devon's grave. Sitting on the moist grass she ran her hand across the name on the headstone. "God I miss you, Devon." She lovingly arranged the flowers they had left earlier. "You told me we'd work through this. You begged me not to run and then you left me with fourteen children and your mother." She smiled bitterly to herself. "Although I think I got the better end of this deal." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I love you. Why did you leave me?" 

Max walked up behind her sister. "Thought you might be here." She tossed a look at the headstone. "Hey Devon. I see you've still got my sister's full attention." She sat down beside Jondy. "I thought I'd let Logan catch up on some sleep. I guess I picked a bad time to bring Rebecka to visit." She had been so excited to find her mother that until now she hadn't realized that Jondy needed this time to mourn Devon. 

Jondy reached out and squeezed Max's hand. "It's alright. I just need some time." She stood and brushed her jeans off. "We'd better get back. I know Logan has trouble sleeping when you're not there." 

Max looked at Jondy in surprise. "How do you know that?" Logan had mentioned to her that he couldn't sleep without her close by, but she had thought he was joking. 

Jondy rolled her eyes as they started walking home. "The last time I stayed with you two and you disappeared in the middle of the night to make some extra cash, I found him staring out the window. He told me the nights you stay at your own place, he can't sleep." 

Max wondered how long Logan had been losing sleep. "So what else did you discuss in these brotherly, sisterly chats?" 

Jondy chuckled. "That man of yours only talks about you. If I weren't your sister it would drive me crazy." She smiled sadly. "It's wonderful to be loved that much, isn't it." 

"Yeah." Max beamed at her sister. "I could get used to it, once I get over needing my own space. Logan tries hard not to be too suffocating." 

They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they entered the living room they found Logan staring out the window. Jondy nudged Max. "Told you. I think Logan might be addicted to you." 

Logan blushed slightly. "There are worse things to be addicted to." He wrapped his arms around Max's waist. "I don't seem to need as much sleep as I used to." He glanced over at Jondy. "Everything alright?" 

Jondy nodded. "I'm getting there." She left Max and Logan alone and walked towards Devon's room. 

Max watched Jondy leave. She felt a twinge of guilt. There she was with a loving boyfriend who couldn't keep his hands off of her and yet her sister could only watch Max and wish she had the same thing. "Do you think it bothers Jondy when we come here?" She leaned back against Logan and looked up at his face. 

It took Logan a moment to understand what Max meant. "No, I think she just wants to see you happy." He bent his head to kiss her. "You are happy, aren't you? I mean apart from being concerned about Jondy." He was worried for a moment that Max would say no. 

Max grinned teasingly. "Let's see. You spoil me rotten. You let me set the pace in this relationship. You let me have the space I need despite the fact that apparently you can't sleep without me. I'd be pretty stupid if I wasn't happy, wouldn't I?" 

Logan kissed her neck. "I've never known you to be stupid." He chuckled at Max's gasp of surprise, when he swung her into his arms and carried her to their room. 

Rebecka wandered restlessly around the house. She had been shut up in her room at the psychiatric hospital for so long that she enjoyed the freedom of moving around the hotel that had been turned into a home. She abruptly stopped when she saw Jondy sitting in the doorway of a room. 

"Did you lose your way?" Jondy stayed staring into Devon's room. She knew her mother was watching her. It was one of the advantages of having feline DNA. 

"No." Rebecka edged slowly forward to see what was in the room. "It's just a nice change to be able to walk freely around instead of being locked in a room. I expect you and Max remember how that feels." 

Jondy managed a brief smile. "As clear as if it were yesterday." She gestured into Devon's room. "This was Devon's room. I wouldn't let Julia pack anything away, so she just comes in every so often and dusts." 

Rebecka sat down by Jondy. "Perhaps you don't have to pack everything away." She didn't want to intrude on her daughter's life. After all, up until a couple of weeks ago she had thought that Jondy had died when she was born. "I'm sure there are certain things Julia wants to keep. Maybe the girls would like to keep something of Devon's each. You could always keep something so the twins know who their father was." 

Jondy looked around the room. "I guess keeping the room like this doesn't really do Devon's memory any justice." She turned to Rebecka. "Thanks for the idea. I'll let Julia and the girls know in the morning." 

Rebecka smiled at Jondy. "You're welcome." She stood and turned to head back to her room. A question sprang into her head. Looking over her shoulder she dared to ask. "Why does Julia call you Jessica?" 

Jondy giggled. "It's the name I used when we escaped from Manticore and split up. It's the only name Julia ever knew to call me. I guess it's a bit late to change now, a bit like my accent." 

Rebecka nodded. "Old habits are hard to break." She said good night and returned to her room. She was one step closer to her daughter and for now that was enough. 

The next afternoon Max sat with Jondy in a room set up as a lab. "So what do ya think?" Max pointed to the x-rays in front of them. "Any chance you can get that thing out of my head?" The implant showed up loud and clear on the x-rays. 

Jondy shook her head. "Not at the moment. I wouldn't rule out the possibility all together. It is making your seizures worse though." She was sitting beside Max on the examination table swinging her legs back and forth. "Have you ever tried meditation?" 

Max shook her head. "No. After the scare I gave Logan the other day though, I'm willing to try just about anything." She took a deep breath. "Do you think I'll ever stop having these seizures?" 

Jondy put her arm around Max's shoulders. "I'm working on it." She grinned mischievously at her sister. "Do these seizures ever come on when you and Logan are having sex?" 

Max blushed bright red. "Not as yet. If that's your idea of a cure, I can't see Logan refusing to help me out." 

Jondy giggled. "You should see the look on your face." She tried to be a little more serious. "It's just a theory, but Devon noticed my seizures were always at their worse when I got upset about something or someone. If I focused my energy on a good memory or someone who didn't stress me out, it seemed to help. It's a bit like focusing on a mission when we were at Manticore." 

Max thought about what her sister was saying. It made sense. Her mind was certainly relaxed when Logan made love to her. "I'll let Logan know we may have a temporary cure." She hopped off the table and went to look for Logan. 

Jondy walked over to where Max's x-ray were hanging and jabbed the picture of the implant. "Don't get to comfortable in my sister's head, cause I'm going to find a way to get you out," she muttered to herself. 

Later that night Logan, Max, and Jondy sat on the sofa cuddling the twins. Julia and the girls had gone through Devon's room and packed up everything that they hadn't wanted to keep. Julia had put aside a couple of items Devon had kept from his childhood, so that Jondy could give them to the twins. A few of the treasured items had been left on the coffee table when Rebecka had offered to tuck the girls in. 

Logan watched baby Tinga wrap her tiny hand around his finger. The baby girl beamed up at him from her seat on Max's lap. "She's got your smile, Jondy." The more he looked the more he could see the twins were a perfect combination of both Devon and Jondy. 

Max took her gaze off of the baby for a moment to look at her sister. "Didn't you want to keep anything of Devon's?" Her sister had decided she didn't want to touch anything in Devon's room, so Max, Logan, and Rebecka had taken Jondy and the twins out so that Rebecka could see the sights of San Francisco. 

"I already have the best part of Devon." The twins were a part of Devon that she was also a part of. They were also a dream come true. Back at Manticore Jondy had only been able to dream of a life outside of the guarded fences. She had been told children weren't a possibility. "I guess we showed Manticore that we don't live by their rules." 

Max knew what her sister meant. There wasn't a day that went by when she wondered if she had just dreamt Logan up. "We sure did." 

Julia walked into the room with a book in her hand and Rebecka right behind her. "Jessica, I found this while we were packing up Devon's room. I thought you might want to keep it." She handed Jondy the book and then said good night to everyone and went to bed. 

Rebecka sat beside Max who was sitting on Logan's lap on the sofa. She noticed the puzzled look on Jondy's face. "Is something wrong?" 

Jondy handed her son over to her mother. "No. I just never thought Devon would have kept this." She looked up to see three confused faces. "Just after Devon found me and took me home to his mother, Julia decided I should go to school. Devon was pretty much a child genius so he was ahead of where he should have been at school. Anyway, he had this English teacher that decided he kept too much bottled up and that Devon should start writing in a journal." She shook her head and smiled. "Devon felt he had better things to do, but agreed on the condition nobody could read it. The teacher agreed that was fine but he would need proof of some kind that Devon was actually writing in the journal." 

Max chuckled. "Devon provided you as an eye witness. With your genetically altered DNA, you would have been the only person able to keep up with him in class." 

Jondy nodded. "Most of the time he just wrote one sentence so that he could honestly say he had written in the journal." She flicked through the pages catching the dates written on each page. For most of their childhood, Devon had only written one or two lines. As a grown up, he had written numerous pages but only on selected days. "There are entries in here from a year ago and a few years before that." 

Logan, himself wrote poetry when he needed an escape. It helped him put things in prospective. "It probably helped him sort things out in his head. That would have been around the time the South Africans started looking for you. Then you had to disappear when some of you were compromised. I guess Devon didn't want to burden you talking about it, seeing as you had your own problems." 

Max wondered if Logan did the same thing with his poetry. She looked up at him. "Have you written any poems lately?' 

Logan smiled down at her. "Yeah. One or two. I'd show them to you, but the last time I showed you one of my poems, it went missing." 

Rebecka watched Logan teasing Max. "You never found out what happened to it?" She could tell by the blush on Max's face exactly what had happened to the poem. 

Logan rested his chin on top of Max's head as he pulled her closer. "I think I know where I can find it." He stifled a yawn. "I think us mere mortals ought to try and get some sleep, if we're going to get an early start tomorrow. 

"I'll be in, in a minute." Max waited for Logan and Rebecka to leave the room with the twins before questioning Jondy. "How recent are the journal entries?" 

Jondy flicked to a particular page and handed the journal to Max. "He wrote that when Zack had us hiding out in Canada. I only had time to say a quick good bye before I had to run. We both knew it could happen one day that Manticore might catch up with me. I never realized it would affect Devon so deeply." 

Max read the pages of neat writing aloud. "'The day I've dreaded ever since I met Jondy had finally come. The government has found out her position and she had to leave for the safety of both of us. She was in Seattle. If I hadn't seen the 'Eyes Only' broadcast and sent her the text message, she would have come home to find Manticore waiting on our doorstep for her. It's just as well we said goodbye over the phone. Face to face, I would have begged to go with her. She's only been gone a couple of hours but I miss her as though she has been gone for years. It feels as though I lost a part of myself and although there is no physical attraction, the person I love the most in the world has been taken from me. She's right, Jondy once told me life had a habit of giving you your most wanted dreams, only to cruelly snatch them away. Still, she never did follow life's rules and despite the odds against her, I believe Jondy will fight the nightmares to keep the dream.'" 

Max looked over at her sister. "Wow. You were the love of his life and you didn't even have to sleep with him." 

Jondy smiled at her sister. "Yeah, at least I know now how Devon felt about me. Now if only we could get rid of Ames White, all of my nightmares would be gone." 

Max glanced at her sister wistfully. "With the backup we've got, that day may come sooner than we think." She handed the journal back to Jondy and headed for her room. "Sweet Dreams, Sis." 

Jondy smiled at Max over her shoulder. "Yeah. Sweet Dreams, Maxie." She turned the page and finished reading Devon's journal. 

_The End_


	25. Family Matters

**"Family Matters"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Emily Cale, Peter, Nurse Stacey, Doctor Collins, Jondy's children, Julia and Kera however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

When Logan's beloved Grandmother passes away, he finds that blood isn't thicker than water in his family. 

**Timeframe:**

Occurs after "Love In Vein".

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

The Crash was packed to the brim. It was as though everyone had picked this particular night to go out and celebrate. Max watched her friends from Jam Pony laughing and joking with each other. They were her other family. Max realized that one family member was missing: Logan. Somehow he had managed to fit into both of her families without very much effort, yet still knew when to give her some space as he had tonight. 

Original Cindy watched her friend's face. Her expression changed by the minute. "Hey, Boo. Where's Logan tonight?" Cindy knew the only reason for her friend's changeable expression was the absence of her friend's boyfriend. "Is he working again?" 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "I guess. We have this agreement that I get some alone time. It's so I don't feel suffocated." She smiled at her friend. 

"That's sweet, Boo." Original Cindy nodded her approval. "The thing is, the two of you went from just spending the weekend together to the weekend and a couple of weekdays and now you only come back to our crib on Fridays. Why don't you give the poor man a break and move in with him?" 

Max shifted uncomfortably under the stares of her friends. "Well, the last time he asked, I sort of freaked and ran out of the apartment and ended up in traction." 

"So I'm guessing he's not going to ask again in a hurry," Sketchy offered. "I thought it was just guys that ran from commitment." 

"Don't worry, Max." Herbal patted her hand. "I'm sure Logan's just waiting for the right time. The man doesn't want to push you into something you're not ready for. It's all good." 

"The fact that you live at that apartment of his six out of seven days," Alec added, "probably left him with the impression you had already moved in." 

Max rolled her eyes. "Is that what Asha told you?" She knew the blond was pissed that Logan had asked for the key to his apartment back. 

It was Alec's turn to look uncomfortable. "She might have mentioned something." He hadn't expected Asha to get under his skin so fast. He had actually felt a sense of relief when Asha had told him she had given Logan the key to his apartment back. "You denying it." 

"No," Max retorted. "I just didn't think she'd race back to you to tell you Logan asked for his key back so quickly." 

Original Cindy caught the surprised look on Alec's face. "Blondie told you she gave Logan's key back, didn't she. Not that he asked for it back." 

"Excuse me." Alec stormed away from the table. He and Asha had some serious talking to do. "What is it about that guy that makes the women so crazy," he muttered to himself as he left the bar. 

"Looks like Blondie still has the hots for your boy," Original Cindy nudged Max. "Did you know Alec was that serious about her?" 

Max shook her head. "No, but then Alec and I don't exactly bond on the subject of Asha." Still she felt a little guilty about the hurt look she had seen flash across Alec's face. "Actually we don't bond at all." 

Logan tapped away at the keyboard as he hacked into yet another supposedly unbreakable system. Every now and again his mind would wander from the task at hand to Max. He wondered if she was with Original Cindy having a girl's night out or visiting her mother. Not that it mattered. The thing was, she wasn't there with him. He had thought of asking her to move in with him again, but the memory of what happened the last time made him hold his tongue. 

Downloading the information he needed for his latest 'Eyes Only' broadcast, Logan decided to take a break. Having poured himself a cup of coffee, he walked around his apartment. It had changed so much in the last six months. Several pieces of art had been sold to make ends meet. The most noticeable difference was in his bathroom. Max's presence could be seen without trying by the containers of moisturizer and various hair and make up products that vastly out numbered his toiletries. 

His kitchen cupboards and the fridge were more often than not, filled with ingredients for Max's favorite meals. God, he missed her. Still, it was only for one night. The ringing phone disturbed his chain of thought. Logan looked at his watch. "Who could be ringing at this time of night?" he muttered to himself. He knew it wasn't Max as it was his cell phone ringing. She usually used the secured line. 

He checked the caller ID as he picked up his cell phone. That only served to confuse him more. Why would his cousin Elizabeth be calling him? "Hey, Bitzy. What's up?" 

"Logan, Grandma's had a heart attack." Elizabeth Cale was close to tears. "Can you get down to Metro Medical right away? She's asking for you." 

"I'll be right there." Logan was already walking towards the door. Even though his Grandmother was in her mid nineties, she was healthy for her age. An accident before the pulse had put her in a wheelchair, but apart from that she was the picture of health. He and Max had only had dinner with her the night before. As he drove to the hospital he tried to recall if there were any signs that he had missed that his grandmother had been ill. There had been nothing that he had noticed. 

When he finally reached the hospital, Logan found much to his disgust, his family was clambering to try and get into his Grandmother's room. Bitzy was sitting aside with her daughter Brittany, obviously repulsed by the actions of the rest of the family. 

"Bitzy." He walked up and hugged his cousin. "Any idea what happened?" He bent down and picked Brittany up. The little girl was obviously tired and scared. As soon as he had hold of her, she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and settled off to sleep. 

"I took Brittany over to have dinner with Grandma." Elizabeth was shaking like a leaf. "After dinner she started complaining that she wasn't feeling well. That's when she had the heart attack." She burst into tears. "They stabilized her a few minutes before I called you. She asked to see you but everybody else was too busy trying to get in to call you." 

Logan held his cousin with one arm. "It's alright Bitz. I'll see if I can find out what's going on." He sat his cousin back down and headed for his Grandmother's room with Brittany in his arms. 

Logan ignored the jealous looks that his relatives gave him as the nurse swept him into the room. "How is she?" he asked the nurse as he looked at his Grandmother laying in the hospital bed. He had never seen her look so frail. 

Nurse Stacey smiled kindly at him. "She's stable at the moment. Try not to tire her out too much. I'll be right outside controlling the vultures." 

Logan grinned at her description of his relatives. He sat down beside his Grandmother's bed. "Hey, Grams." He waited for her to open her eyes. "You know, you only had to call if you wanted me to visit again so soon." 

Emily Cale managed a weak smile. "Is Max with you?" She couldn't see the young woman so thought perhaps she was waiting outside. 

"No," Logan explained. "She needs a day off every week for herself. I think she's out with some of her friends from work. I'm not sure." 

"She's a wonderful girl, Logan." Emily reached out and squeezed his hand. "Don't let that one get away." She glanced over his shoulder. "It's good to see some things never change. The rest of the family can't wait to see what I've left them in the will." 

"I'm sure they're just worried, Grams," Logan tried to reassure her, but he knew as well as she did that it was exactly what they were waiting for. 

Emily chuckled at Logan. "You're not a very good liar, dear. Never mind. I made it a condition of the will that I have to be dead and buried a month before any details of the will can be disclosed." She chuckled again. "Won't that just put them all in a tizz." 

Logan beamed at his Grandmother. "You thought of everything, didn't you?" His cell phone began to ring. Glancing at the caller ID he recognized the number as the Crash. "It must be Max." He knew she would understand if he didn't answer. 

"Answer it, boy," Emily gently prodded him. "She probably tried to reach you at home and got worried when she couldn't get hold of you." 

Logan did as he was told. "Hey, Max." He listened to voice on the other end of the line. His Grandmother was right, Max had been worried. "I'm fine. My Grandmother had a heart attack. I'm at the hospital. Metro Medical. No, it's ok, Max. You enjoy your night out. Max? Max?" He rolled his eyes and hung up the phone. "I guess she's on her way." 

Emily smiled at him. "I told you she's a wonderful girl." She looked at the sleeping child in Logan's arms. "I must have scared Brittany and Elizabeth to death." 

"Bitzy's pretty shaken up," Logan admitted. "If she hadn't called me, I would still be working at home without a clue of what was going on here." He noticed his Grandmother was looking incredibly pale. "Are you alright Grams?" 

"Could you get the nurse for me dear." Emily winced slightly. "I'm sure it's nothing." 

"Of course." Logan stood, but then felt his Grandmother's hand on his arm. "What the matter Grams?" 

"I love you, Logan." Emily let go of his arm. "I'm very proud of what you've accomplished with your life and the person you've become." 

Logan smiled down at her. "Thanks, Grams. That means the world to me. I love you too." He left to find the nurse. On his way back to find Bitzy, he saw that Max was sitting with his cousin comforting her. He also noticed the Jam Pony crew had come with her. 

Max looked up and saw Logan watching her. She left Bitzy's side and threw her arms around Logan and the sleeping Brittany. "Why didn't you call me? I would have been here sooner. How is your Grandmother?" She took a step back. 

"I didn't want to take up the one night you get away from me." Logan took in the sight before him. Max was all dressed up. It was rare he ever saw her in an actual dress. "You look beautiful." He focused on her other question. "I don't know how Grams is. She sent me to get the nurse and now they won't let me back in." 

"Logan." Elizabeth saw the Doctor heading towards them. "This doesn't look good." 

Logan handed Brittany to Max and walked up to the Doctor. "She's gone, isn't she?" 

Doctor Collins nodded. "I'm sorry, Mr. Cale. She had another heart attack. There was nothing we could do." 

Logan nodded. He went and told Elizabeth the bad news first. His cousin crumbled in his arms. He calmed her down as best he could and then handed her over to Original Cindy. He felt Max reach out and squeeze his hand as he walked past to tell the rest of the clan the news. 

Logan was appalled at the way his family took the news that Emily Cale had passed away. He had never been more grateful for Max's Jam Pony family than he was at that moment. Herbal and Sketchy took Elizabeth and Brittany home. Max and Original Cindy took on the rest of the Cale clan, leaving Logan free to sort out any paper work and notifying Emily Cale's staff of the situation. 

It was almost four o'clock in the morning when Max had decided that Logan had, had enough and led him out to his car. She had chucked the keys to Original Cindy and asked her to drive. To Logan's surprise, Max loaded him into the back of the Aztec and climbed in beside him, instead of taking the front passenger seat. As she cuddled up to him he murmured in her ear. "I'm sorry I spoilt your evening for you." 

Max looked up at him. "If I didn't want to be with you, I wouldn't have come." She brushed his lips with hers and then lay her head on his chest. Even though he wouldn't admit it, he had needed her tonight. She was where she needed to be: with Logan. 

Logan felt as though he were in a trance. He vaguely remembered offering Original Cindy the guest room, promising to drive her home in the morning. Max had whispered something to her and then she had taken his hand and led him to the bedroom. He felt like a child being put to bed. In a way it felt good having Max take care of him. He drifted off to sleep as Max tucked him in and kissed his forehead. 

Max sat down beside Original Cindy on the sofa. "I've never seen him like this before." She took the cup of coffee her friend handed her. 

"I have." Original Cindy took a sip of her coffee. "When we all thought you were dead, Bling and I found him sitting here on the sofa. It was like it hurt for him to move. I take it Logan was close to his Grandmother." 

Max nodded. "She was one of the few members of Logan's family that didn't consider him a failure. She was a real nice lady." She hugged her friend. "Thanks for going with me to the hospital tonight." 

"No problem, Boo," Cindy replied. "Your boy sure has a wack family. They were just about tripping over themselves to make sure the old dear was dead. Was she worth a lot of money?" 

Max raised and lowered her eyebrows. "I think so, judging from that mansion she lived in. She wasn't your typical rich person though. Did you notice how most of Logan's family looked down their noses at us when we walked into that hospital." She saw her friend nod. "Yeah, well Emily Cale never did that. She was always really friendly and it was genuine not fake like the others." 

"I'm sorry I never met her. She sounds great." Cindy put her arm around Max's shoulders. "There's not enough people like her out there. I think I'll turn in for the night." She looked around her. "Where is it I'm sleeping tonight?" 

Max smiled at her. "I'll show you." She made sure Original Cindy had everything she needed and then got changed and crawled into bed beside Logan. He seemed to realize she was there and rolled over to cuddle up to her. Max watched him sleep, looking so much like a little boy. She caressed his cheek and felt him pull her closer. "It's alright, Logan. I'm not going anywhere," she whispered as she kissed his forehead. 

"I love you, Max," Logan murmured in his sleep. 

"I love you too," Max closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. 

A few days later Max accompanied Logan to Emily Cale's funeral. It was an unusually beautiful day that seemed fitting, considering what a wonderful person Emily Cale had been. Logan's Aunt Margot had shoved her way to one of the front seats beside Logan. She seemed surprised to see Max there. 

"Who are all of these people?" Margot whispered to Logan. "I never realized your Grandmother was so popular with so many young people." 

Max slipped her hand into Logan's and squeezed gently. "They're here to support Logan." She was pleased to see the startled look on Logan's Aunt's face. She knew how little Margot thought of her nephew. 

Logan glanced over his shoulder to see what the two women were talking about. He was amazed to see dressed in black suits were Krit, Zane, Bling, Alec, Herbal, Sketchy and Donald Lydecker. In stunning yet appropriate black dresses were Syl, Jondy, Jace, Tinga, Original Cindy, Julia, Kera, Rebecka and Jondy's adopted daughters. Jondy and Zane held one of the twin babies each. Despite the seriousness of the occasion, they really painted the perfect picture of family. He looked down at Max. "They're here for me?" 

Max smiled up at Logan. "Of course. You're family." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "We always support our family." She had mentioned to Jondy over the phone that Logan's Grandmother had died, but was as surprised as Logan when the whole family and Donald Lydecker turned up a few minutes ago. 

Logan drew strength from the support that he was getting from Max's family and friends, when his own family was only there to try and get their hands on Emily Cale's money. 

After the funeral, the Manticore/Jam Pony family stood aside not wishing to intrude on the Cale family's period of mourning. Logan gave Max's hand a gentle tug. "Is that Joshua in the motorcycle helmet holding Jondy's hand?" 

Max nodded. She had managed to have a brief talk with Jondy as they left the church. "He insisted on coming today. Alec made him cover up and told him that he could come if he kept the helmet on and held onto Jondy's hand the entire time." 

"Are you sure it safe for them to be here?" Logan was grateful for their support but not at the cost of their lives. "I'm surprised Jondy got past the Sector check points." They had discovered that White had issued a warrant for Jondy's capture with the Sector Police. 

"They're fine." She grinned up at Logan. "Besides, the Sector Police are looking for an English redhead, not a French blond." Zane had filled Max in on how they had gotten their sister into Seattle. 

Elizabeth and Brittany walked up to Logan and Max. Elizabeth shook her head as she watched the rest of their family. "God, look at them. They can't wait for the will to be read." 

Logan smirked. "Well, they're going to have to wait. Grams told me before she died that she left a condition attached to her will. She has to be dead a month before it can be read." 

Max chuckled quietly. "I knew there was a reason I liked your Grandmother. She was one smart lady." 

Elizabeth smiled at them. "She sure was." She giggled. "Margot's going to be spitting chips when she finds out. Better lock Grandma's jewelry away before Margot decides to help herself." 

"Got it covered, Bitz." Logan nodded hello to Peter, his Grandmother's butler. "I called Peter from the hospital and asked him to lock everything valuable away." Logan glanced over at his extend family. "Max, where's everyone going to stay tonight?" 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "I guess we can split everyone between my place, your place and Alec's place." 

"Give me a minute. I might have a better idea." Logan walked over to Peter. "Peter, I have a favor to ask." 

"Of course, Mr. Cale." The butler was only too happy to help out Emily Cale's favorite Grandson. "What do you need?" 

"My girlfriend's family turned up to support me today." Logan didn't want to impose on Peter's good nature, but he also had another reason for wanting the X5's in the mansion. "Would you mind if they stayed at Gram's house. They crave privacy so they would make sure no unwanted visitors would get in the house." 

Peter caught Logan's drift. "Would they like anything special for dinner, sir?" He and the rest of the staff would be staying and managing the mansion until the new owner was disclosed in the will. 

"No. They tend to like to fend for themselves. You don't need to wait on them." Logan pointed to Jondy. "If you have any problems, just let Jessica know." 

Peter nodded. "Very well, sir. I'll be expecting them this afternoon." He left the church grounds and started to make his way home. 

Logan noticed Max had moved over to talk to her family so he went to join her. "Everyone from out of town can stay at my Grandmother's place tonight." He looked straight at Jondy. "I've told Peter that all of you would prefer to fend for yourselves, so there's no need to wait on you. Also if he has any problems, he is to go to you Jondy." 

Jondy smiled back. "That sounds fine to me. So, do you want us to keep the family vultures clear of the house?" Max had filled her in on what Logan's family was like. 

"Would you mind?" Logan knew they wouldn't. There was no way any of the Cales were getting past the X5's. 

Jondy reached out and hugged Logan, which was difficult considering she had her baby daughter on one arm and Joshua hanging onto the other. "Of course we don't mind." 

Logan hugged Jondy back and then let go to put his arm around Max. "Thanks for coming today, everybody. I really appreciate it." 

Krit shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you know we were all wondering what we could do as a family and camping was out," he joked. "Plus we needed somewhere we could take him." He pointed at Lydecker. 

Logan chuckled at the young X5. "Glad I could help you all out. Come on, I'll show you where you'll be staying tonight." 

That night Logan lay wide awake with Max cuddled up to him. She had barely left his side since his Grandmother had died. He had never got this kind of support from Valerie when they were married. Somehow, Max just seem to know what he needed, whether it was a hug or some time alone. "Thank you." 

Max looked up from where she was resting her head on his chest. "For what?" She had the feeling that Logan couldn't sleep tonight, despite the exhausting day he had, had. 

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. For being here, for knowing when I needed you the most. For your family's support." He stroked her long dark hair. "For being you." 

Max rolled onto her front so that her chin was now resting on his chest. "You were there for me when we thought Renfro had killed Tinga. You were also there when Ben went crazy. Why are you so surprised that I would want to be there for you when you needed someone." Her eyes sparkled in the dark. "As for my family's support, Jondy never forgot the number of times you patched her up when she was hurt. She also remembers how supportive you were when Devon was killed. My family is just repaying you the kindness that you've shown them." 

Logan kissed her nose. "They've all been more of a family to me than my own blood related family ever were." He reached down to Max's waist and lifted her up closer to him. "They're also a big part of who you are, how could I not help them when I have the opportunity." Logan chuckled. "I see Alec learnt his lesson about sending Joshua out in disguise on his own." 

Max giggled. "I though Joshua was never going to let go of Jondy's hand." She recalled the last time Alec had convinced Joshua to go outside unsupervised, Joshua had ended up stoned. "I don't think Joshua wanted a repeat performance of the last time anymore than we did." 

Logan was beginning to feel that he could get through anything as long as Max was with him. He nuzzled Max's neck and kissed a trail along her collarbone. He planted gentle kisses up her neck and moments later they lost themselves in each other, the hardships of the world a distant memory. 

Krit surveyed the dark grounds around the mansion, smiling as he heard Syl slip up beside him. "Is it just me or is Logan's family so much stranger than ours?" 

Syl nodded. "Their only excuse seems to be greed. I wonder if Logan's Grandmother actually left them anything. It wouldn't surprise me if she left everything to Logan, going by what Max told us about Logan's Grandmother." 

Krit shrugged his shoulders. "I'll never understand rich people. They have all this money and they still want more, yet they never seem happy." 

"They're not that rich." Tinga walked up behind them. "I heard most of the family assets were seized when Jonas Cale was found using the family business for something illegal." She had just got off the phone with her husband and son. Seeing how Logan's family treated him, made her more grateful for her own family than ever. 

Jace raced into the room. "You're not going to believe this," she chuckled at how childish the situation at the front door was. "Half of the Cale Family are at the front door demanding to come in so that they can look for the will." 

"I guess we'd better give Peter a hand keeping them out." Krit turned and headed for the door. 

Jace crossed her arms in front of her and grinned. "Jondy's already down there. Apparently, the mob outside woke the children." 

Tinga giggled. "This I've gotta see." 

They all raced downstairs knowing how fiery their sister's temper was. Zane, Julia and Kera were sitting on the bottom step of the staircase watching the scene before them in great amusement. 

Jondy was standing beside Peter, her hands on her hips. "You are the most inconsiderate people I have ever had the misfortune to have met. Not only have you woken my children up, but you haven't even got the decency to wait until Emily Cale has been buried for a full day before making a grab for her money. If you had thought about it, you would have all realized that Mrs, Cale's lawyer probably has the will." 

Peter was struggling not to laugh as the petite redhead gave the Cale family a tongue-lashing. "Will the children be requiring some warm milk Miss Guevara, to help them sleep?" He had assumed that Jondy's last name would be the same as Max's seeing as she didn't appear to be married. 

"If it's not too much trouble Peter." Jondy slammed the door shut on the Cales. "Is there anything else you need help with?" She smiled up at the kind butler. 

"Not at the moment, Miss." Peter peeked out the window. "I don't think they've given up yet, though." 

Krit nudged Syl. "I feel the need to let my inner child out. Want to play?" His expression was full of mischief. 

Syl looked over at Peter. "We're going to need a lot of buckets, some water and if possible, some dye." 

Peter was confused by the request, but went to get the items Syl had asked for. "As you wish, Miss." 

"So, are we heading for the roof?" Zane asked his brother. "Up to the high place?" He had a pretty good idea what his brother was going to do. 

Krit nodded. "The higher the better. Who else is in?" He could see Jace and Tinga were interested. 

Jondy gave her brother a bemused shake of her head. "I don't care what you do, just don't wake my kids." She headed for the kitchen to help Peter with the warm milk. 

Outside the mansion, Margot stamped her foot in frustration. "There must be a way inside. Those people aren't even family. Why are they staying in the house?" 

Before anyone could answer her, they found themselves drenched in icy cold water that seem to tumble down from the sky. Somebody then switched the outside lights on the mansion on, revealing the multi colored relatives to each other. 

Tinga pointed to the security camera that was beside her on the roof, filming the activity in the grounds. "How about we send a copy of the tape to Logan? It might cheer him up a little." 

Zane had his cell phone to his ear. "Oh, I don't think Logan's that downcast at the moment." He waited for the beep on the answering machine before he spoke. "Sorry to interrupt Maxie, but I thought we'd better warn Logan, he might have some angry relatives turning up on the doorstep in the morning." He chuckled. "I'll let you two get back to what you were doing. See you in the morning." 

In Logan's bedroom, Max rolled her eyes. "I may have to kill Zane in the morning." She could hear the answering machine with her feline hearing. "Big brother's timing really sucks." She forgot all about her brother's phone call when Logan started nibbling on her neck. 

The next morning Max grabbed one of Logan's shirts and threw it on as she raced to the door. She didn't want whoever was banging on the door to wake Logan. Her jaw dropped when she saw the sight outside Logan's apartment. Unable to control herself she burst into giggles. 

Logan had been woken by the noise and stumbled out of his room wearing only his boxers to find Max. Wrapping his arms around her waist from behind her, he rested his chin on her shoulder. "Morning Max." He raised his gaze to see what had his girlfriend in fits of giggles. "Morning Aunt Margot. What happened to you?" 

The shade of purple that Margot's face was had nothing to do with how furious she was. "Those people you have in Emily's house thought it would be funny to throw dyed water on us." Margot's mood wasn't helped when Max began to laugh even harder. "I don't think this is funny." 

"I do." Max managed to get out before kicking the door shut on Logan's Aunt. She turned in Logan's arms. "That had to be Krit's idea." She could see Logan was struggling not to laugh. 

There was another knock on the door. This time it was a lot more gentle. "Jam Pony messenger. Delivery from the Cale Mansion." Original Cindy's voice rang out from the other side of the door. 

Max opened the door again. "Hey. What brings you here at this hour." She stood aside to let her friend in. 

Original Cindy sat herself down on the sofa, ignoring the partially dressed state of her friends. "I'm gonna need a signature for this." She waved a parcel in the air. "Krit says it's a comedy." 

Logan signed for the parcel and opened it to find a VHS tape. Frowning slightly he put the tape in the machine, switched on the television and pushed play. Sitting next to Cindy, he pulled Max down onto his lap. A couple of minutes later, they were all laughing so hard, they were crying. 

"I guess that explains the rainbow connection I passed on my way in here." Original Cindy managed to gasp out. "I gotta tell ya, Boo, purple is not your Aunt Margot's color." 

"It is now." Max chipped in sending everyone into further fits of laughter. The tape had obviously been put together from several camera angles as Krit, Zane, Ting, Syl and Jace could be seen putting the dyes together. 

Logan smiled sadly to himself. His Grandmother would have loved Max's family. "How about I make us some breakfast." He slid out from under Max and moved towards the kitchen without waiting for an answer. 

Original Cindy and Max watched him go. Cindy nudged Max. "Your boy gonna be alright?" She could see how worried Max was. 

Max thought about it for a moment. "I think so. I'm gonna stick around here to make sure though." She had practically moved in anyway. "You ok with this?" She didn't want to leave her friend high and dry. 

Cindy hugged her friend. "Boo, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Besides, your boy needs you at the moment. You know you've always got a place to stay if you need some space." 

"Thanks." Max watched Logan working culinary miracles in the kitchen. Cindy was right, Logan did need her at the moment. She smiled at Logan when he looked up at her. "Tell Normal I won't be in today, will ya?" 

Original Cindy looked from Max to Logan and back again. "No problem, Boo, but you and hot boy in the kitchen better cool down, cause I ain't leaving till ya feed me." 

_The End_


	26. Hide and Seek

**"Hide and Seek"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Wesley, Belinda, Leeza, Mya, Peter, Emily Cale, Baby Ben, Baby Tinga and however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

Logan buries himself in work, trying to locate Sandeman's wife and son. In attempting to forget his family's lack of emotion, he could be pushing Max away. 

**Timeframe:**

"Art Attack", "Cream", "Medium is the Message", "Rising", "Two"

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

Peter walked around the Cale Mansion. He marveled at how quiet it was. When Emily Cale had been alive, it had been this quiet at this time of night, but never this full. Young Mr. Cale had requested his girlfriend's family stay there so that the Cale family vultures wouldn't be able to help themselves to Emily Cales property before the will had been read. He frowned at the sight of Jessica sitting on the windowsill staring into the night. "Is everything alright Miss?" 

Jondy turned to look at the butler. "Yes, everything's fine. I just don't need a lot of sleep." Zane had headed back to LA and Krit and Syl were heading back to their homes the next morning. "Tell me about Emily Cale." She was fascinated by the woman that had won Max over so easily. There didn't appear to be any photos of the woman in the house. 

Peter sat in a chair beside the window. The way this young woman was perched on the windowsill reminded him of a cat. "I've worked for Emily Cale for the past thirty years, Miss. I have never met anyone that I admired as much as her. It wasn't like a job, it was like helping a friend and getting paid for it. Does that make sense?" 

Jondy nodded and smiled. "She sounds like a wonderful woman. You must miss her as much as Logan does." 

"She's a great loss, Miss." Peter had noticed that the pretty redhead not only looked after and was mother to fourteen children, but didn't seem to sleep more than a couple of hours a night, if that. "So why don't you need a lot of sleep." 

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "I've never needed much sleep, even when I was a child. I'm hoping it's not something my children will inherit from me." She saw something moving through the garden. "Tinga, we've got our nightly visitor." She had borrowed several sets of coms off of Logan. "Is Krit still feeling playful?" 

Tinga walked into the bedroom that Krit was using. She kicked the bed waking her brother. "Rise and shine Baby Brother. It's rodeo time." 

Krit climbed out of bed and took the rope his sister was holding out to him. "You know I was having this seriously hot dream. I'm gonna be pissed if my dream girl's not waiting for me when I get back to sleep." He plugged his coms into his ear. "Where abouts is the calf I'm rounding up, J?" 

"Go out onto your bedroom balcony." Jondy was still watching the intruder. "Lonely little calf to your right." A couple of seconds later the intruder was swinging in the air. 

Peter stared out the window in amazement. "Where did you people learn to do that?" 

Jondy's face was the picture of innocence. "We're military brats. It's sort of in our upbringing. Good night, Peter." Jondy eased off the windowsill and walked up the staircase. The feline in her preferred the exercise the staircase gave her to the simplicity of the elevator installed for the wheelchair bound Emily Cale. 

Max woke to find that Logan still hadn't come to bed. She had fallen asleep out of the boredom of waiting for him, not because she was actually tired. She could hear his fingers clicking away on the keyboard. It was a reassuring sound. She couldn't help but remember how despondent he had become the time the doctor who had, had a possible cure for the paralysis in his legs had been killed by Lydecker. They had never talked about the fact that Logan had almost taken his own life. Max had almost forgotten the incident, especially after Jondy had finished the job that Dr. Vertes had started. When Logan's Grandmother had died, Max had noticed Logan starting to shut himself off. It had all come flooding back to her. The part that had scared her the most was the memory of returning to Foggle Towers and seeing the ambulance, then running into the apartment and finding no Logan and his gun out on his computer desk. 

Max shook her head pushing the memory and it's accompanying feelings aside and climbed out of bed. She made no sound as she walked barefoot across the polished wooden floors, but Logan still seem to sense when she was near. Max noticed that since she had given him a blood transfusion a year or so back, that Logan appeared to be more attuned to her. He turned away from his computer as she approached him. "Hey, aren't you coming to bed. You need the sleep more than I do." She sat down on his lap and put her arms around him. 

Logan looked at the clock on his computer. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how late it was." He gave Max a worried look. "Have you actually been sleeping?" He touched her forehead. "You're not ill are you?" Her forehead didn't feel overly warm. 

Max shook her head. "No, I just got bored waiting for you to come to bed." He was worrying her. Logan seemed to be burying himself in work so that he wouldn't have to deal with his Grandmother's death. "You're going to make yourself ill if you keep working like this. Not to mention, I'm starting to get jealous of the attention your computer is getting over me." 

He managed to smile at her last comment. "Fine, I'll come to bed. I wouldn't want you to feel neglected." Logan switched his computer off and stood with Max in his arms. He had to admit, he was exhausted. Falling asleep with Max in his arms certainly helped ease the pain of the loss of his Grandmother. 

Max watched Logan fall asleep. The stress of the last couple of weeks started to fade from his face. She loved watching him sleep. He always looked as though he didn't have a care in the world, when in fact all he ever did was care about the world. "We'll get through this together Logan. Just don't push me away." In response to her whispers, Logan's arms tightened around her waist pulling her closer. "Good answer." She whispered as she lay her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. 

Alec picked up his coffee cup and threw it against the wall. Every time he tried Asha's cell phone he got the damn answering machine. It was bad enough he had found out that she had lied about her giving Logan's key back. Now he couldn't even get hold of her so that she could explain herself. One thing was sure, he was not going to be her substitute for Logan. Alec grabbed his jacket and headed for the Cale Mansion. Jondy would make him feel better. She seem to have the knack of knowing when he was in a bad mood and finding a way to get him out of it. 

Krit followed Jondy down the stairs. "I'm telling you, it was an awesome dream, and you had Tinga wake me up. I mean this woman was built like a..." 

"I heard you the first three times, Krit," Jondy interrupted him. "How many times do I have to ask you, not to tell me about your pornographic dreams. You know, there are just some things a sister does not need to know about her brother." She walked into the dinning room and took a seat at the table in between the two high chairs her twins were seated in. 

Jace looked up from her breakfast. "Is anybody going to let him down?" She pointed to the man swinging outside the window. 

"Later." Syl reached for another piece of toast. "Peter, which one of the Cales is that anyway?" 

Peter looked out of the window. "I can't quite tell from this angle, Miss. I think it might be Mr. Wesley Cale. He's one of Jonas Cale's sons. Just as greedy as his father was." Peter felt slightly uncomfortable sitting at the table with the family, but the young people around him had insisted he do so. 

"Looks like I arrived in time for breakfast." Alec had let himself in. "I see you had an unwelcome visitor." He nodded to the body swinging outside the window and took a seat beside one of Jondy's twins. "Whose handy work is that?" 

"Krit's." Syl handed Alec a plate. "Has anybody heard from Max this morning?" She wanted to say goodbye to her sister before she and Krit headed back to their own homes. 

Jondy nodded. "She and Logan should be here soon." She poured Alec a cup of coffee. She could tell something was bothering the X5, but he wasn't a big talker when he got into one of his moods, so she just squeezed his hand and let him be. 

An impatient knocking at the door interrupted their breakfast. Krit grinned. "I think Aunty Margot's come to pick up her little boy." 

Peter frowned with confusion. "How do you know it's not Miss Guevara?" It seemed more realistic that it would be Max. After all they were expecting her. 

Jace shook her head. "Our family doesn't knock. We tend to just let ourselves in." She stood and went to answer the door. 

"Where the hell is my son?" Margot Cale's infuriated voice echoed through the mansion as she stormed into the dinning room. Belinda clasped her hands in front of her. "God bless Mom, Dad, Aunty Tinga, Aunty Jace, Aunty Syl, Aunty Max, Uncle Krit, Uncle Zane, Uncle Alec, Uncle Logan, Uncle Joshua and Peter." There was still a faint trace of her native French accent behind the English accent she had adopted. 

Her Swiss sister, Leeza, nudged her. "You forgot to ask God to bless the food before us." She and her sisters had pulled this stunt a lot in the last week or so. Nothing seemed to stop the Cale family cold than a bunch of little girl's praying. It all looked so innocent. 

Margot Cale waited for the children to finish grace before approaching the table. "My son Wesley came here last night to make arrangements to stay and he hasn't returned. I want to know what you've done with him." 

Max walked in at that moment dragging Logan behind her. She had been determined to get him away from his computer for the morning. "Morning." She caught sight of Logan's cousin swinging around outside. She let go of Logan's hand and walked over to the window, opening it. "Morning Wesley." She shut the window and sat herself down at the table. 

Logan frowned at the scene outside the window. "What is that, the third time this week Wesley's tried to break in here?" He sat down beside Max. 

"Fifth." Max helped herself to some coffee. "You'd think he could wait another two weeks for your Grandmother's will to be read." 

Margot looked horrified at the sight of her son swinging around outside. "Get him down immediately. Just you wait until that will is read." She glared daggers at Max. "I wouldn't look so smug if I were you young lady. It's not as though you would benefit from the will. "You're not even Logan's wife." 

Syl pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. "According to this piece of paper here she is." She held up the paper to show a marriage certificate. 

Margot marched angrily out of the room to retrieve her son, totally unaware of the shocked look on Logan's face. A few minutes later Wesley hit the ground outside as his mother untied the rope. 

Alec snatched the piece of paper out of Syl's hand and chuckled. "Nice penmanship. Is this your work?" His chuckle changed to a deep laugh when Syl nodded. "Logan, I thought your Aunt was going to burst a blood vessel for a moment." 

"Mya, could you go upstairs and see what Mrs. Cale is doing please." Jondy looked over at the Mexican girl she had adopted. "I think I can hear her in my room." The young girl excused herself from the table and moved silently upstairs. A few minutes later she reappeared. "She's looking behind the pictures. I think she's also about to go through your suitcase, Mom." 

Peter was confused. "I locked all of the paintings away and I understood that your suitcase had a lock on it, Miss." He had carried Jondy's suitcase upstairs himself. 

A scream of "Oh my God" came from upstairs. Minutes later Margot and Wesley ran down the stairs and out the front door. 

Jondy smiled sweetly. "You all owe me ten bucks each. I told you that Margot would go snooping through my things." All of her siblings handed over the money. "I asked Joshua to loan us some of his paintings to cover the blank walls and that safe in the library. As for my suitcase, I hid that in the ceiling and left one filled with handcuffs and whips that I borrowed from one of the neighbors under my bed." 

Everybody at the table roared with laughter. No wonder Logan's Aunt had been so shocked. That was certainly the last thing anybody would expect to find under Jondy's bed. 

"Why do I get the impression, it's going to be a long two weeks until that will is read." Peter sighed and started collecting the empty plates, but Jondy's daughters were already clearing the table. The maids had told him that the rooms were already cleaned and tidied and the beds made when they arrived to do their jobs. "Miss Guevara, I am paid to clear the table and the maids are paid to clean the house." 

"My girls don't get waited on at home and they will do their fair share while we stay here." Jondy was firm, but kind. She wiped the twin's faces. "Julia and Kera phone this morning. They made it home without any problems." 

"Speaking of which." Krit stood up and went to hug his sisters. "Syl and I had better get going." He shook hands with the men. "Thanks for the place to stay Peter." He slapped the butler on the back. 

Syl hugged her siblings and Logan. "Give us a call if you need anything." It was an open invitation to everyone in the room. She followed Krit out the door to the car they had already packed. 

"I'm gonna head back and get some work done." Logan bent down and kissed Max on the top of the head. "Why don't you stay and visit with your family." He had a couple of leads on Sandeman's family. 

Max didn't want to appear clingy but she was worried about what Logan would do if he were left alone. "Are you sure?" 

"Yeah." Logan waved goodbye to everyone and left. He figured Alec would probably bring Max home later if Jondy didn't. 

"What's wrong, baby sister?" Tinga could see the worry written all over Max's face. "Is Logan not coping with his Grandmother's death?" 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "I wouldn't know. He won't talk about it. I actually had to go and tell him to switch off the computer and come to bed at 3AM this morning." 

"Maybe he's fed up with you." Alec winced as Jondy swatted him across the back of his head. "Or maybe he's just busy. It could happen." 

Max shot him a filthy look. "I just keep remembering what happened or almost happened when Doctor Vertes was killed. I know losing the chance to walk again and losing a relative is totally different. It's his reaction that's the same. He's closing himself off and I almost lost him the last time he did that." Max felt so helpless. 

"Well, from what I've seen of Logan's family, " Jace spoke up. "Maybe it was never encouraged to speak about your feelings. God knows it wasn't where we all came from." 

Tinga nodded in agreement. "Logan probably just needs a little time and space. Try not to worry too much, Maxie." 

Jondy had seen the file Doctor Vertes had written up on Logan. Because of that, she could understand why Max was worried. "Alec, could you go and keep an eye on Logan for us." When he started to object, she rested her chin on his shoulder and looked up at him. "Please." 

Alec rolled his eyes. "Fine, but I'm going to be bored out of my mind." He was rewarded with a smile from Jondy. "You owe me for this." He kissed Jondy's cheek on his way out the room. 

"You think I should worry about Logan, don't you?" Max asked her sister. 

"No." Jondy smiled. "I was just getting Alec out of your hair." She handed one of the twins to Max and sat the other twin on her lap. "I think Tinga's probably right. Logan needs a little time and space. Why don't you take the girls to visit Rebecka. It'll give you a break as well." 

"Maybe you're right." Max couldn't help noticing that Jondy never seemed to refer to Rebecka as their mother. Still, after being without a mother for so many years, even Max had to admit it took some getting used to. She handed the baby back to Jondy. "Mind if I take the van." 

Jondy shook her head. "No. You know where I leave the keys. Just don't let Rebecka spoil the girls. I don't want to have to travel back to San Francisco with twelve brats." 

Max giggled. "Don't worry. Catch ya later." Max felt a little better after talking to her sisters. After rounding up the girls, she piled them into the van and set off to visit her mother. 

Jace waited until the van had left the property before questioning Jondy. "You're concerned about Logan as well, aren't you? That's really why you sent Alec to watch Logan." 

Jondy rubbed her forehead. "I saw the file Doctor Vertes had on Logan. His mental state at the time wasn't great. Things have changed since then, so I could be worried about nothing." 

"But, " Tinga continued for her. "Max and Logan never talked about what happened last time, so there's always the fear that Logan might try again and succeed." She had pretty much caught up with everything that had happened with her siblings after she was taken back to Manticore. 

Jase took baby Ben off of her sister. "So why don't you go and talk to Logan, Jondy. You always seem to be able to get through to people. Tinga and I will look after the twins." 

Tinga took baby Tinga from her sister. "Sure. I just want to phone Charlie and Case. They panic if they don't hear from me everyday. Besides, Alec's probably already bored with watching Logan." 

"I don't know how much good I can do," Jondy pushed her chair away from the table. "But I'll give it a go." The worst that could happen is that Logan would tell her to mind her own business. 

"Damn it," Logan cursed the computer in front of him. Yet another dead end. Wherever Sandeman's wife and son had disappeared to, they weren't eager to be found. Every lead ended up at a dead end. It was as though they had disappeared into thin air. 

Deciding it might help if he took a break, Logan wandered around the apartment. He had switched his cell phone off and turned the volume of the apartment phone down. Every time the phone rang it was just another greedy relative wanting to know why Max's family were staying in Emily Cale's mansion. Each of his so-called family demanded access to the mansion. 

Logan paused in front of a brightly colored painting. It had been a gift from his Grandmother and one of the few possessions he refused to sell. It reminded him of her so much. The elegance of the brushstrokes, the subtle subject painted with such bright cheerful colors. 

Logan flashed back to the week after his parents had died. He had been searching for his mother's locket. It had been her most treasured possession and she had wanted him to have it. It had in fact been her dying wish. Emily had asked Logan to stay with her for a couple of weeks. She had said it was so that Logan could keep an old lady company. In hindsight, she had been more of a comfort to him, than he was to her. She had been livid when she found out that Margot had taken the locket. She had even gone as far as to tell Jonas never to bring that woman into her home wearing a necklace that she had obviously stolen. Margot of course, denied it was stolen and that it was a piece of family jewelry she had been given. Never the less, she never wore it in the presence of Emily Cale. 

"Is that painting worth more in sentiment or money." A voice behind Logan jerked him from his thoughts. Turning around he found Jondy leaning against the doorframe. 

"My Grandmother gave it to me." Logan headed back to his computer. "But it is also worth a lot of money as you well know." Normally he didn't mind Jondy's surprise visits, but today he just wanted to be alone. "I'm kinda busy, was there something you needed?" 

Jondy studied Logan for a moment before answering him. "Have you even looked at the time and noticed that Max has been gone for four hours?" Jondy had stopped in on Rebecka to suggest that Max take the girls to visit Joshua as well. Then she had spent an hour on the roof with Alec, who had repeatedly told her how bored he was. He had also been able to see what Logan was working on from where he had been sitting. 

Logan glanced at the clock on his computer. It had been four hours since he had left Max at the mansion. "Max is alright, isn't she?" 

Jondy nodded. "She's fine. She's worried about you though. You need to let her know what's going on inside that complicated head of yours, Logan." Before he could open his mouth to tell her that he was just busy, she interrupted him. "Don't you dare try to tell me that you're busy trying to find Sandeman's family. I know you keep running up against dead ends on that. If you keep building the walls up around you to try and forget the one decent member of your family has died, then you will end up losing Max as well." 

"What do you expect me to do?" Logan startled himself when he started to yell at Jondy. "You want me to drag Max down into my black hole of self pity? Is that what you want for your sister?" He didn't know why he was so mad or even who he was mad at. 

Jondy wasn't fazed by Logan's outburst in the slightest. "It would probably help you if you just talked to Max. It would certainly stop her from feeling left out." She turned and walked towards the door, her red hair flowing around her shoulders. "Oh, by the way, did you ever consider that Sandeman's wife and son might be hiding the way White's family should have been." The door clicked shut quietly behind her. 

Logan stood stunned by his computer. Jondy had certainly left him a lot to think about. He sank down into his computer chair and reached for his cell phone. First things first, he needed to know that Max was really alright. There were some things that he needed her to talk through with him as well as vice versa. 

Alec looked up at Jondy as she sat beside him on the roof. "Do you think your visit worked?" He took the can of beer she offered him. It never ceased to amaze him, what Jondy could store in her purse. 

Jondy pulled the tab on the can she had gotten out for herself. "Let's wait and see." She clinked cans with Alec. "I noticed Asha wasn't at Emily Cale's funeral. Is she away with the S1W?" 

"Yeah." Alec pretended he knew about Asha's whereabouts. "Something like that. I guess it's pretty important cause I can't even get her on her cell phone." He looked over at Jondy to see if she believed him. As usual, it was impossible to tell. "So, you think that Sandeman guy lied when he told Max what her DNA was for?" 

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think that he told her everything. I can't help but feel that he is somehow linked to White and his band of freaky men." 

The two of them sat in a comfortable silence until Max returned to the apartment. Quietly they made their way down to the street and back to the mansion. It was obvious Logan had called Max by the expression on her face. At least it was a start. 

Max sat on the edge of the computer desk. "So have you found anything on Sandeman's family?" Logan had said he wanted to talk, but he hadn't said a thing yet. 

"No." Logan switched off his computer. "Jondy seems to think that maybe Sandeman is linked to the familiars." He made his way over to the sofa. 

Max followed Logan over to the sofa. "I guess that makes sense." She decided to take the plunge. "So you said that you needed to talk. What's up?" 

God, this was so hard. It didn't help Logan that he and Max weren't the best at talking things out. Usually one or both of them ended up yelling. "I've been told that I'm closing you out and using my search for Sandeman's family to justify it. I guess I couldn't admit how much I miss my Grandmother because I didn't know if you would understand. I can't exactly turn to anyone in my family seeing as they're more interested in the will. The only person out of all of them that would remotely care is Bitzy and she's taking Grams death pretty bad herself." Surprisingly, he felt better just admitting that much. 

He took a deep breath and continued. "I guess I sort of felt abandoned when Grams died, cause she was the person I always turned to when I had a problem. Like when I first ended up in the wheelchair or when Ben went on a killing spree and you closed me off. You know you never talked to me about that. I guess I felt hurt about that because I thought that we had got to the point, where you felt safe enough with me to tell me anything." Logan looked into Max's troubled brown eyes and wondered if he had gone too far. 

Max realized if she was going to get Logan to completely open up, she was going to have to talk about some things as well. "It wasn't that I didn't feel safe. It's just that we had this complicated thing going and I didn't want to make it worse by telling you that I killed my brother." The shock on Logan's face, Max knew wasn't at the fact that she had killed Ben, but that she had ever been pushed to the point that she had no other choice. 

Logan took hold of Max's hand. "Was Manticore closing in on you?" 

Max nodded. "Ben and I got into a fight in the woods. I broke his arm and his leg trying to stop him. I couldn't let him go on killing innocent people." The tears started running down her face. "We could hear the Manticore troops getting closer. I couldn't carry him out of there, we would have both been caught." She was openly sobbing now. "He begged me not to let them take him back, I didn't want to do what he asked. God, I hate that I even knew how to break his neck." 

Logan pulled Max into his arms and held her until her sobbing subsided. "And then I acted like a real jerk because I got scared of what you were capable of. Glad I got over that." He tried to joke away the memory of the photos Lydecker had sent him. "So do you feel up to telling me why Alec has been watching me all day? Although I have noticed that he's gone now." 

Max blushed as she wiped her tears away with the heel of her hand. "You'll think it's stupid and Alec was Jondy's idea. I would have sent one of my sisters." She could see that Logan was waiting for an explanation. "I know after Doctor Vertes was killed, that you came pretty close to committing suicide. It was just another subject we swept under the carpet and tried to pretend didn't happen." 

Logan guessed the rest. "So when my Grandmother died and I started closing you out and burying myself in work, you got scared that you were going to come home and find me with a bullet in my head." 

Max couldn't meet his gaze. "I told you it was stupid." 

"Your feelings aren't stupid, Max." Logan hugged her tighter and rested his chin on her head. "A lot of things have changed since then. I have your love and support which I foolishly took for granted. I can walk thanks to your sister. I have a second family that more than makes up for my insensitive blood relations. I actually look forward to a new day as long as it's one I get to spend with you. I used to think despite you telling me the contrary that you could never feel anything but pity for me while I was in the wheelchair. Max, I don't ever want to go through another day like the three months I spent alone when you died in my arms." 

Max smiled up at him. "Is that a fancy way of asking me to move in with you? Cause I think I've pretty much already done that." She was relieved everything was now out in the open. 

Logan smirked. "I guess you have. Have I told you what a fantastic family you have?" 

Max rolled her eyes. "Some members are better than others. So what's your next step in finding Sandeman's family?" She snuggled up to him. All of this talking about their feelings was exhausting. 

Logan kissed her forehead. "I figure if we find out more about White, we may find a connection to Sandeman and his family. There's no rush though. Tomorrow's another day." He looked down to find that Max had fallen asleep. "Well that's the first time I've ever worn you out and not the other way around." He lifted the sleeping beauty into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. Cuddling up beside her Logan drifted off to sleep, finally in peace with all of his demons laid to rest. 

_The End_


	27. Where There's a Will, There's a Way

**"Where There's a Will, There's a Way"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Wesley Cale, Bradley Chambers, Peter, Jondy's children, Jason Cale and Nigel however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

The delayed reading of Logan's Grandmother's will has approached, turning the Cale family completely upside down. 

**Timeframe:**

"Art Attack", "Cream", "Medium is the Message", "Rising", "Two"

**Rating:**

PG 13

* * *

Emily Cale's mansion was decorated with brightly colored balloons, every color of the rainbow except red. It was the one thing Jondy had insisted on when Peter asked if he could assist holding a birthday party for her Swedish daughter, Ashley. When he had queried her distaste for red balloons that said Happy Birthday, she had just said they brought back bad memories. 

"You do good work." Max walked into the foyer holding Logan's hand. "You finally managed to get my sister to let you do something, Peter." She beamed at the butler. "Where is my ever enchanting sister?" 

"Upstairs watching the birthday girl open her presents last time I looked." Peter chuckled as Max let go of Logan's hand and bounced up the stairs. "I don't know where that family gets all of their energy." His expression turned to one of concern as he faced Logan. "I'm worried about Miss Jessica. She only seems to sleep for a couple of hours at night. Does she have some sort of medical condition?" 

Logan struggled not to laugh. "No Peter. Neither Jessica or Max need very much sleep. It stems back to their childhood. Max is quite often awake for most of the night." 

Jondy walked up behind him and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I think that has a lot to do with you keeping her awake. You two certainly kept me awake when I was staying with you." She moved around him so that she was facing both men. "You did a wonderful job with the decorations, Peter." 

At that moment Ashley came to the top of the stairs and squealed in delight at the bright decorations. She hurried down the stairs followed by her sisters who also let out delighted squeals. Jondy pointed to Peter and stood aside as the girls hugged him and Ashley thanked him for the decorations. 

Logan looked up at the top of the stairs for Max. "Max went upstairs to find you Jess. Did you catch up with each other?" 

Jondy nodded. "Yeah. Charlie and Case arrived last night to spend the week. She's catching up with them. Tinga's heading back with them. The school holidays end at the end of this week so I'll be taking the girls back to San Francisco then." Jace had headed back to Mexico a couple of days before to her husband and child. 

"Thanks for sticking around so long." Logan knew that staying in Seattle was more dangerous for Jondy than anyone else. "What did your boss say when you asked for four weeks off?" 

"Nothing." Jondy started herding her daughters towards the dinning room. "I asked Nigel ages ago if I could have the school holidays off to be with the girls. He doesn't know we came here for a funeral." She looked up the stairs. "Case! If you want some birthday cake, you'd better hurry up. The girls are ready to dive into it." 

There was the sound of running little feet and then Tinga's son appeared. "Save some for me." He cautiously made his way down the steps. When he reached the bottom he took his Aunt's outstretched hand and walked with her into the dinning room. 

"Have there been anymore break-ins?" The will was being read tomorrow. Logan seriously doubted that would stop his money-grabbing relatives from trying to get their hands on as much as possible prior to the will reading. 

Peter nodded. "Your cousin, Wesley, spent the night in jail last night. Miss Jessica called a Detective Sung to come and pick him up, after Wesley threatened the children." 

"With any luck, that will stop once the will has been read." Logan seriously doubted it though. 

Max appeared with Tinga and Charlie. "So I hear Wesley's in jail and there's a restraining order on him." Max had been highly amused when she had been told. 

Tinga chuckled. "The restraining order was my idea. I get the impression that Wesley's doing Margot's dirty work for her. He's obviously looking for something in particular." 

"Margot has a thing for the family jewelry." Max remembered the locket she had lifted off of Margot at Bennett and Maryanne's wedding. "Look at it this way, Logan, if Margot takes anything that's not hers, you know the right people to get it back for you." Max's face was the picture of innocence. 

Logan pulled Max into his arms. "That I do." A look of pure mischief crossed his face. "Want to come to the reading of the will with me tomorrow? I have the perfect piece of jewelry for you to wear." 

Max knew Margot would be fuming when she saw Logan's mother's locket hanging around Max's neck. "Alright. Got the perfect outfit to wear with that piece of jewelry or am I going to have to borrow some of my sister's clothes?" 

"I think you might have to borrow something from Jessica this time around." Logan would have loved to just buy Max an outfit, but at the moment, money was tight. 

Jondy dressed most of the time as though she was made of money. Casual elegance seemed to be her style. Today she was the perfect picture of the lady of the manor. Dressed in a fitted red top and a beige pair of trousers with matching high-heeled boots, it was hard to see her as a genetically engineered killing machine. 

Logan paced back and forth outside the lawyers office the next morning. Max had told him that she would meet him there, once she had changed into some clothes borrowed from Jondy. He wondered what was taking her so long and then he saw her. 

Max was dressed in a long straight black skirt that had a split up the side to her knee. The deep purple V neck blouse she was wearing, clung to her body in all the right places and showed the locket dangling from her neck, off to perfection. Her hair flowed around her shoulders in soft curls and she wore enough make up to highlight her eyes and lips. The outfit was completed with black high heels. 

Max waited for Logan to take in the outfit she was wearing before tucking her hand through his arm. "Ready to annoy your Aunt Margot?" 

"Hell yes." Logan gave her a toothy grin. "You look incredible. But then you always do." 

As predicted, Margot spotted the locket, the moment Max walked in the door. Her face went red with rage, but seeing as she had stolen the locket in the first place, Margot was unable to pass comment on it. 

The whole family had gathered around the large boardroom table, barely able to contain their eagerness to find out what they had been left. The whole scene made Logan sick to his stomach. 

Bradley Chambers had been Emily Cale's lawyer for the past twenty years. It never ceased to amaze him how different Logan was to the rest of the Cale family. He had been one out of two family members that hadn't hassled Bradley to move the reading of the will forward. The other being Elizabeth Cale. 

For Bradley, it was difficult to keep a straight face. After all, he knew the contents of the will, so he could predict what reaction he would get from the family. It all started out simple enough. Each of the Great Grandchildren had been left a trust fund that they would be able to claim the contents of, on their twenty-fifth birthdays. Peter had been left a large sum of money for his loyal service, as had the maids. Several charities also benefited from the will. 

Bradley braced himself for the reaction he knew would come to the next part of the will. "The mansion and its contents including art work, jewelry and furnishings has been left to Logan Cale to do with as he pleases. A large sum of money has also been left to Logan for the upkeep of the mansion and grounds." Bradley raised his hand to stop the protests he knew were coming. "Before any of you start talking about contesting the will, I feel I should inform you that most of you have been caught on camera trespassing and or breaking into the mansion. I even have a copy of a police report that states Wesley was arrested recently for exactly that and threatening the occupants of the mansion. I also understand a restraining order has been issued against you, Wesley." 

Wesley Cale sat in silence glaring at his cousin. He was up to his eyeballs in debt and had been sure he would be left something. It was bad enough his brother had chosen Logan to be his best man at his wedding instead of him. 

Bradley looked down at the last paragraph of the will. "Lastly, the ruby and diamond ring that Emily was gifted with for her ninetieth birthday is left to Elizabeth Cale." He folded the will and put it back in his briefcase. "Peter, could you arrange to get the ring to Elizabeth? I understand most of Emily's possessions were locked away for safe keeping." 

Peter nodded. "Of course." He had been amazed to be left such a large sum of money. 

Bennett and Mary Anne weren't bothered that they hadn't been left anything, as their son now had a substantial trust fund. So when Margot started to protest, Bennett quietly told his mother to shut up. He also reminded her that she hadn't got on with Emily anyway, so he didn't see way she was so surprised at being left out of the will. 

Logan was stunned that his Grandmother had left him so much. He had no idea what he was going to do with the mansion. Finally he decided to talk it over with Max later, see if she had any ideas. He gave Max's hand a gentle tug. "Are you ready to go?" 

Max nodded. "Yeah. Mind if we drop by the mansion first? I really should give my sister her clothes back." She could have sworn Logan had looked a little disappointed at the thought. It wasn't often she wore a skirt. Usually she was dressed in jeans. 

"No problem." Logan made sure that he walked past Margot, so that she could get another look at the locket Max was wearing. He knew Max had caught onto what he was doing when she started to giggle once they had left the lawyer's office. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. That locket looks so much better on you than it ever did on Margot." 

"I don't mind." Max walked hand in hand with Logan. She had never expected to feel comfortable with anyone, the way she did with Logan. "It was worth it to see the steam coming out her ears." She burst into another fit of giggles. 

When they finally made it back to the mansion, it was quite late. They found Jondy reading a story to her daughters, who were all curled up with her on the king sized bed. Tinga's son, Case, was perched on Jondy's knee. 

Jondy looked up from the book she was reading when she heard Max and Logan walk in the room. "How did it go?" 

Logan sat down in a chair that was close to the bed and pulled Max onto his lap. "Grams left me the house and just about all of its contents, plus enough money to maintain it." 

Max looked at him. "So what are you going to do with this place? It's rather big to live in unless you expect my family to all move in with you." She wasn't sure she could feel comfortable living there with him. For some reason she preferred Logan's apartment to Emily Cale's mansion. 

"No, I was hoping you might have some ideas." Logan glanced around the bedroom they were all sitting in. Until Jondy had chosen this room to stay in, Logan was pretty sure that he'd never been in this room. "I'd like to keep some of the art work that Peter locked away. I like some of Joshua's work as well." 

"You could donate some of the paintings to an art gallery in your Grandmother's name." Jondy offered. "Let other people appreciate your Grandmother's great taste in art." 

Max considered the possibilities in her head. "You know with few alterations, this place would make a great recreation center. With a bit of government funding which you would be entitled to, it could be a place parents can leave their kids after school until they finish work." 

Logan knew that he could count on Max and Jondy for some good ideas. "Perhaps Peter and the maids wouldn't mind working as councilors. I'm sure if they wanted the jobs they could get sufficient training while the alterations were being done." He felt much better now he had some ideas to work with. 

"Mom, you haven't finished the story," Emma whined. "It's just getting to the good part." 

Jondy rolled her eyes. "Alright. Tomorrow night Aunty Tinga can tell you a bedtime story. She makes up her own, doesn't she, Case." Her nephew nodded as he cuddled closer to Jondy. 

Original Cindy looked at the painting before her. "That's good work, Boo." She glanced up at Joshua who was towering above her. "Who is it?" 

"Max and Logan." Joshua was quite proud of the painting. "You think they'll like it?" He had worked on it all day. 

Original Cindy smiled. "I'm sure they will." She nudged Joshua when she saw Max and Logan walk in the door to Joshua's house. "Why don't you ask them yourself?" 

"Little fella." Joshua hugged Max taking care not to get paint on her. Then he hugged Logan as well. "Got something for both of you." He pointed to the painting. 

"Wow. This is really good Joshua." Logan could see Original Cindy gesturing to he and Max behind Joshua. "Is it Max and me?" 

Joshua looked so excited that Logan could apparently see who the painting was of. "Yes." He slapped Logan on the back almost knocking him across the room. "You got somewhere you can put it?" 

Logan nodded. "Yeah I think I know the perfect spot." He was touched by the transgenic's gift. 

Max's face lit up. "It's a beautiful gift, Joshua. Thank you." She made a mental note to get some more art supplies for Joshua. Painting seemed to make up a little for him not being about to leave the house very often. 

Original Cindy remembered where Max and Logan had been for most of the day. "How did the reading of the will go? I bet your Grandmother came up with a few surprises, Boo." 

The whole experience had left Logan feeling pretty worn out. "Well my family's reaction to my Grandmother's last wishes was pretty predictable. I didn't expect Grams to leave me with so much though." 

Original Cindy shot Max an impish smile. "So rich boys, rich again. You two gonna move into that big old mansion?" 

Max chuckled. "No, we're going to stick with the apartment. We came up with a few ideas on what to do with the mansion, but I think Logan needs to sleep on it before he makes any decisions." She squeezed Logan's hand. "What are you going to do with all of your Grandmother's jewelry?" 

"I'll let you know when I've figured it out myself." Logan hadn't even begun to consider the jewelry. "We'd better get going. Thanks for the painting, Joshua." 

Max hugged her tall friend. "We'll come and see you tomorrow." She hated to leave so soon but Logan looked beat and she figured she could make it up to Joshua tomorrow. "You need a lift O.C?" 

Original Cindy shook her head. "Nah. I think I'll hang here a bit longer." She figured Joshua must get real lonely spending all of his time stuck in the house by himself. 

Max smiled gratefully at her friend. "Ok. See you tomorrow." She had work tomorrow, so she would stop by and visit Joshua after work. Max noticed how quiet Logan was during the drive home. It wasn't until they got inside the apartment that she brought it up. "You alright? It's like you're somewhere else at the moment." 

Logan gave her a tired smile, as he slumped down on the sofa. "Just thinking. Do you mind not moving into the mansion?" He knew the recreation center was Max's idea, but she had been denied so much in her life that he wondered if the mansion actually appealed to her as a home. 

Max curled up beside Logan. "I like it here better. Less chance of me getting lost," she joked with him. "Besides, I don't think I was ever cut out to be the lady of the manor. Why?" 

Logan dismissed the whole idea with a shake of his head. "I was just wondering that's all. Jondy seems to play the part well though." 

Max giggled. "Don't let appearances fool you. She hated the idea of being waited on so much that Peter and the maids were ordered to join the family at meal times at the table. I think Peter nearly had a heart attack when he found the girls doing the dishes. I guess that's why Jondy's such a great distraction. She can look like anything you want her to be, but it doesn't mean that's what she really is." 

Logan understood. "I think that idea of yours is probably the best thing to do with the mansion. I'll check out tomorrow what it will involve changing it into a recreation center. I think Grams would have like the idea too." He stifled a yawn. "I never realized how exhausting a will reading could be." He ran his fingers through Max's hair. "Have I told you how beautiful you are?" 

Max blushed. "What can I say, my sister does good work. I turned up on the door step this morning and asked Jondy to make me look good enough to make steam come out of Margot's ears." 

Logan leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. "I didn't just mean today." Max had looked very much the part today, but Logan had always been able to see past the tough exterior she always hid behind. 

Max touched her forehead to Logan's. "I think my sister was right. You're definitely a keeper." She took hold of his hand and led him to their bedroom. It suddenly struck her that she finally felt as though she belonged somewhere. It was a strange, but good feeling. 

Alec sat opposite Jondy balancing Baby Tinga on his lap. "So like I said, Asha's still out of town and Sketchy and Normal didn't want to grace the local night spots with me. So here I am, playing uncle." 

Jondy watched him with an amused smile touching her face as she bounced Baby Ben on her knee. "You miss Asha and you didn't feel like going to the strip joints with Sketchy and Normal. It probably took you a good ten minutes to come up with an unnecessary excuse to come here and visit." 

Alec grinned sheepishly. "You're gonna have to teach me how to read minds like that." He remembered that Logan's Grandmother's will had been read that day. "So is Logan rich again?" 

Jondy nodded. "Pretty much. I'm actually waiting for his aunt and cousins to try and rob the place again. By the sounds of it, Emily Cale left them nothing. I bet that went down well." She chuckled to herself. "I can just picture Margot's face when she found out she hadn't been left anything in the will." 

Alec chuckled as well. "Hey, do you mind if I stay here tonight?" He didn't feel like going home to an empty apartment. "I could help keep the intruders out." 

"Sure. I'll ask Peter which room is still made up." Jondy handed Ben to Alec and went looking for Peter. 

The next morning at Jam Pony, Sketchy switched the television off. "I don't care what that reporter says, Eyes Only says the mutants aren't dangerous." He pulled himself up to his full height. "Eyes Only know his stuff, so what he says must be true." 

"You're an idiot." Normal mumbled as he threw Sketchy a package. "Start delivering." 

"He's not an idiot." Original Cindy snatched another parcel out of Normal's hand. "He's a believer." 

"Yeah, whatever." Normal pointed to the door. "Get moving bip, bip, bip." He glared at Original Cindy when she rolled her eyes at him. "I don't pay you lot to stand around yacking all day." 

Alec nudged Max. "Sounds like your boyfriend has a fan in Sketchy." He liked Sketchy. The guy was easy going and could be talked into anything. 

Max nodded as she climbed on her bike. "It'll be interesting to see if Sketchy still feels the same way when trouble comes a knocking. White's not going to give up until he's destroyed all of the transgenics." 

"Except Jondy." Alec rode along side of Max. "I'd hate to think what plans he has for her." White even made his skin crawl. 

"Don't kid yourself, Alec." Max stopped her bike. "When White doesn't get what he wants out of Jondy, he'll kill her too. He's already tried to kill his own wife, remember and he claimed to love her. The guy's a psycho." 

Alec had never considered that point of view. He didn't want Jondy to end up in White's hands anymore than the others did, but he had always thought that she would be kept alive. He rode the rest of the way silently beside Max. 

Logan walked thoughtfully around the mansion. It would take a lot of time and work to change the mansion into a place that people from all walks of life could go. He wanted it to be a place that his Grandmother would have been proud to have associated with her name. 

Logan ran his gaze around the textured walls and up the marble staircase, stopping when he saw Jondy watching him. He laughed self-consciously. "You keeping an eye on me for Max, Jondy?" 

"Do I need to?" Jondy's blue eyes twinkled with mischief. "So I can see you have big plans for this place. I get the feeling that you're torn between helping the community and not wanting to lose any memories you have of your Grandmother." 

"How did Manticore manage to get you to read minds?" Logan waited for Jondy to descend down the stairs. "Or is that something you picked up all by yourself?" 

"I don't read minds, I read faces." Jondy beamed at Logan. "Everything you feel is written all over your face. Word of warning. Don't ever play poker with Alec. You don't have a very good poker face." 

"I'll remember that." Logan noticed that unlike Max, who only wore a watch normally in the way of jewelry, Jondy wore several simple yet elegant pieces of jewelry. "Maybe you can help me with something." He could see he had peaked Jondy's curiosity. "Apart from one ring, my grandmother left her jewelry to me as well. I guess she thought I could sell it to fund 'Eyes Only.' I thought that you might be able to help me find a couple of pieces for Max. She doesn't usually wear jewelry so I'm not really sure what to look for." 

"I'd be happy to help." Jondy was curious to see what sort of jewelry Emily Cale had. Judging from the locket Max had been wearing yesterday, the Cale family jewelry would be worth having. 

Logan asked Peter to get the jewelry out of the safe and lay it out on the table in the study. He hadn't realized there were so many pieces. Peter had already given Bitzy the ring she had been left in the will. He could tell with one look that Jondy had valued every item on the table. "What do you think?" 

"If you want to give Max a gift of jewelry, it really should be something you pick out yourself." Jondy spotted a couple of pieces she felt Max would like. It would mean more if Logan picked the pieces out himself. 

Logan chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip for a moment. "You're right." He noticed that his Grandmother had quite a few pieces that his mother had left her, including her wedding and engagement rings. His mother must have realized that Emily would keep them safe until Logan found someone to give them to. Valerie hadn't been the right one for Logan, Emily had known that from the moment she had met her. 

Jondy watched quietly. "Your mother's wedding ring and engagement ring?" It was obvious the sentiment attached to those rings. 

"Yeah. My Grandmother held onto them until I found that perfect someone." Logan suddenly realized, he had never asked for the rings when he had married Valerie. He pointed to a few other pieces. "These were my mother's as well." He picked up a gold chain with a solitary diamond on it. There were matching diamond studs to go with it. He put the set aside and looked for something else. 

An hour later Logan had picked out three sets for Max and put the rest of the jewelry back in the safe. "Alright I'm guessing since you haven't drop kicked me across the room, that you agree with my choices." 

Jondy nodded. "You have good taste." She stopped and listened for a moment. "The twins are awake. Did you need any more help?" 

Logan shook his head. "No. Thanks for your help. Max was going to head here after visiting Joshua. I think I'll give her the jewelry then, cause if she would prefer something else she can choose for herself." 

Jondy struggled not to laugh. "I thought you were supposed to be the eternal optimist." She squeezed his hand. "Relax. You're not proposing marriage." She shot him a dazzling smile. "Not tonight anyway." 

Logan was laughing as Jondy walked out of the room. She was right. Besides, Max had told him once that she was open to the idea of jewelry. 

"Logan!" A few minutes later Max's head appeared around the door. "Hey. Jondy said you were in here. She told Peter we were staying for dinner. You didn't have anything else planned, did you?" She kissed Logan hello. 

"No." Logan pulled Max into his lap. "You know how you were asking me last night what I was going to do with the jewelry I inherited?" Max nodded. "Well for starters, I thought I'd give these sets to you." 

Max's eyes widened in surprise when she saw the three delicate sets of jewelry. "Logan, they're beautiful. Are you sure you don't want to give them to Bitzy?" She could see how expensive they were. 

Logan shook his head. "No, I'll pick something else out later for Bitzy. Maybe I'll give her something to keep for Brittany when she gets older." He undid one of the necklaces and did it up behind Max's neck." These sets I want you to have." 

"Thank you." Max had no idea where she could wear such expensive jewelry, but she loved Logan for taking the time to pick them out for her. "Have you been here all day?" 

"No, just a couple of hours." Logan nuzzled his face into her neck. "Changing this place into a recreation center is going to take a lot of time and work." It would especially take up the time he spent with Max. "I don't want to neglect you by getting too involved in this project." 

Max had already considered that possibility. "Which is why I thought that I could help out for a couple of hours after work. I figured you could then spend some time on your 'Eyes Only' stuff before I get to convince you there are more fun things to do like eat or sleep or me." She nibbled on his ear. Before they could get too carried away Max heard Jondy calling them to dinner. 

Later that night, Logan watched from the balcony as Max walked around the grounds. He thanked his lucky stars for finding her trying to rob him nearly three years ago. Even his fear of heights wasn't as bad as it had been, mainly because he had, had to push a lot of his fears aside since meeting Max. 

"Thought you didn't like heights." Alec walked out onto the balcony with Jondy, each of them carrying one of her twins. "You're looking awfully comfortable with heights at the moment. Is saying you have a fear of heights, a way to pick up chicks?" He teased Logan. 

"He's admiring the view, Alec." Jondy was looking around her. She could sense they had another unwelcome visitor. "Guys, we've got company." 

As Alec and Logan spun around to see what she was talking about, someone swung down from the roof knocking Logan over the balcony. Moving quickly, Jondy grabbed Logan's wrist stopping him from falling, slamming her hip against the balcony railing as she did so. 

Alec whipped into a spin kick before the intruder could try to throw Jondy off of the balcony as well. "If my sister has even one tiny bruise on her body, I'll feel the need to break your neck." He hissed as the intruder went flying across the room into the wall. Checking the intruder was unconscious, Alec walked over to the edge of the balcony. "How's your fear of heights now, Logan?" He held out his free hand to Logan and helped Jondy pull him back up. 

"It's been better." Logan glanced at the unconscious body in the room located off of the balcony. "I see Wesley hasn't given up." 

"That's not Wesley." Jondy rubbed her sore hip. "Wesley's down there getting his butt kicked by Max and Tinga." She pointed down at the grounds. 

Logan stormed over to the body laying on the floor and lifted up the ski mask. "It's my cousin, Jason. He was also left out of the will. Margot must be really desperate to get something from here if she sent two of her sons." Alec shrugged his shoulders. "Margot doesn't strike me as that picky. I think Mommy just sent her baby boys to grab anything worth a whole lot of cash and bring it home." 

Jondy was watching the show in the grounds. "I can't believe you complain about our family all being thieves, Logan. At least we only steal from bad guys." 

Logan had heard this argument from Max before. "Well as far as I know, only a select few members of my family are criminals. It's like a hobby with your family and you guys are definitely better at it." 

Alec joined Jondy on the balcony. "Hey, Maxie, Wesley's brother threw your boyfriend off of the balcony. You gonna let them get away with that?" 

Logan gave his cousin a kick in the stomach before joining the other two. "You could have added that Jondy caught me." He winced when he saw Max throw Wesley face first into a pillar. 

"Where's the fun in that?" Alec quipped. "Wow your cousin Wesley can really fly. I can't believe he's stupid enough to try and stand up." 

Jondy shook her head. "I'm guessing you got all of the brains in the family Logan." She grinned mischievously. "I have an idea." 

Margot couldn't understand what was taking her sons so long. She made her way to the front door. Somebody was ringing the doorbell over and over again. "Damn kids." She wrenched open the door and found two of her sons bound, gagged, stripped and spray-painted on the door step. Both of them were covered in bruises. "Did you get anything?" Both men merely glared at their mother. 

Max massaged Logan's shoulders. "Are you sure you're alright? I know how much you hate heights." 

Apart from a sore shoulder from when Jondy had caught him, Logan felt fine. "Max, I'm alright. Jondy's probably worse off than me. She gave her hip a pretty bad bang. I'm amazed she caught me seeing as she was holding her son as well. Alec was sort of helpful in his own way." 

Max nodded. "Yeah, he did a brilliant job with the spray paint. Maybe he's learning something off of Joshua. I'm so proud to call him my brother." She giggled. "I would have loved to see Margot's face when she opened the door." 

"Your wish is our command." Alec walked into the room with Jondy. "Sorry we took so long, but Margot had trouble untying her sons." 

Jondy plugged the video camera she was carrying into the back of the television. "We spent forty five minutes braced up in the roof for this." She pushed play. 

"Oh my God." Max moved from her position behind Logan massaging his shoulders, to sitting in Logan's lap. "Would you look at the expression on Margot's face." Soon everyone was laughing. "This is way better than the tape where everyone was covered in dye." Somehow they all seriously doubted they would have any more trouble from Logan's family. 

_The End_


	28. Search Party

**"Search Party"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Julia, Kera, Devon, Nigel, Private Merchants, Noah, Mike, Ty, Belinda, Warwick, Bruce, Lena, Andrea and Emma however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

White steps up his efforts to find Max and Jondy. Moving from state to state, he finds the task isn't as easy as he thought it would be. 

**Timeframe:**

"Some Assembly Require", "Exposure", "Harbor Lights"

**Rating:**

R

* * *

The wind whistled through the rust colored leaves, breaking the eerie silence of the night. There was no moon tonight, only the light of the flickering street lights broke up the darkness. Ames White waited impatiently, the flickering lights highlighting his cold features. 

"Sir," the voice called out from behind White. "I have located the file you were looking for." Private Merchants moved into view. "I found it in Colonel Lydecker's private files at the old building." 

"Did anyone see you?" Ames took the file from the soldier and flicked through it. He looked up at the Private's face. 

"No Sir." Private Merchants glanced nervously around the secluded street. "I was careful. Nobody even knew where I was going." He had no wish to stick around Ames White any longer than necessary. 

"Good." White pulled out his gun and fired. He was about to clean up the transgenic mess that had eluded him for too long and he didn't want any interference. "Where to start." He walked back to his car while reading the file. "I always wanted to go to LA, so I guess we'll start with you Zane." He tossed the file in the passenger seat of his car as he climbed into the driver seat and started his car. 

Logan rolled his eyes as Max won yet another hand of cards. "Are you sure you're not cheating?" 

"No more than usual." Max flicked the deck of cards expertly through her fingers. "When did you start caring?" She shot him a sexy smile. "It's a win, win game. You lose I get to take advantage of your body. I lose, you get to take advantage of mine." 

Logan gave her a toothy grin back. "Why do you think I keep offering to play this game?" He took a sip of wine. "You want to play another hand? We could always go out if you want?" He didn't want Max to feel trapped in his apartment and he had a feeling after the first three hands of cards that Max was going into heat. 

Max reached out and took the glass out of Logan's hand and put it aside. "No, I think I'll collect on my winnings." She crawled across the floor where they were both sitting and crawled into his lap. "Time to pay up hot shot." 

Logan chuckled. "What a way to lose." His chuckle deepened as his shirt went flying across the room, courtesy of Max. The chuckle changed to a groan of pleasure as Max started licking her way up his chest. 

Los Angeles, the City of Angels. At least that's what it had been before the pulse. Now it was just another broken down city. Zane tinkered with the carburetor before peering out from under the hood of the car. "Ok, try it now, Noah." A smile lit up his face as the car roared to life. "Ain't that a beautiful sound?" His boss grinned back. 

Switching the engine off Noah climbed out of the car. "Thanks for staying late, Zane. I told the customer he could have his car back by morning." He looked up at the clock on the wall. "Which is what it is now." He slapped the young man on the back. "Go on home and get yourself some sleep. You've earned it." 

Zane grinned at the older man. "It's the least I can do considering the number of times I've left on family emergencies." His grin faded when his German Shepherd began to growl. "Get out of here quick, Noah." He shoved Noah in front of him as they headed for the back door. 

Peering into the dark, Zane saw White moving cautiously towards the workshop. Silently Zane maneuvered Noah clear of the building and out of harms way. "Looks like I'm gonna need a few days off again, Noah." 

"Same thing as last time?" Noah knew Zane had a big family split up over America. He also knew they had problems with the military. He trusted the young man enough not to question further. 

"Yeah. Sorry to run out on you again, man. You know the drill." Zane hated to bolt again but if White knew where he was, then the others could be in danger too. 

Noah nodded. "I know. You were working here, but you got a phone call and disappeared without a word five minutes later." He shook Zane's hand. "Take care. See you in a few months." He watched Zane creep into the darkness with his dog by his side. 

White lay his hand on the hood of each car in the workshop. One was still warm. "Damn," White cursed to himself. The X5 has seen him coming somehow. He turned and left the same way he had come in, anxious to get to his next destination. "Las Vegas." He muttered to himself. With any luck he could fly there before the other X5s caught onto what he was doing. 

Krit handed his friend a beer. The view of New York from the top of the Empire State Building was spectacular. "I keep telling yo, Mike, I have a lot of sisters but none of them would be interested in you. They have taste." He joked with his friend as he pulled the ringing cell phone out of his pocket. He instantly recognized the caller ID. "Hey, Zane. What's up?" 

"White just turned up in LA." Zane carefully steered his beat up car towards San Francisco. "I don't know how the hell he found me but I figured I'd better warn you. I can't get hold of the girls so I'm heading to San Francisco. Can you try and get hold of Syl and I'll meet you in Seattle." 

Krit snapped instantly to attention. "You gonna move the whole San Francisco clan? I can be there faster if I go by air." 

"No, I think White will try for Jondy last." Zane had been thinking about this while he was driving. "He wants one of us to bargain with. Just get to Syl, I'll keep trying Max and Jondy's phones." 

"See you at the meeting place." Krit hung up the phone and slipped it back in his pocket. "Gotta go, Mike. I have a plane to catch." He threw a line over the side of the building and crawled through the hole he had made for himself in the observation deck. Snapping his harness onto the line he waved good by to his friend and started his descent down the side of the building. 

"Krit!" Mike yelled. "You asshole. You let me in here. How the hell am I supposed to get out?" His yells fell on deaf ears. Krit was already gone. 

Syl loved the bright lights of Las Vegas. When she looked out into the night they seemed to sparkle like different colored jewels. She glanced at her watch. Her break was over, time to go back to dealing black jack. As she turned to make her way back inside, Syl felt the breeze pick up and whip through her hair. Looking up she saw a helicopter hovering above her. Using her enhanced vision she spotted Krit flying the helicopter. In the next minute a rope ladder swung down to her. "Oh God. What's wrong now." She muttered as she climbed up the ladder. 

Krit watched as his sister made her way up to him, but was momentarily distracted by the sound of gunshots. Another helicopter was heading straight for them. "Hang on, Syl, I'm going to try and lose this bastard." He swung the mechanical bird around, trying to keep his sister out of shooting range. "That's how White got here from LA so quickly." 

Syl tightened her grip but kept climbing. "I'm not dying on a damn rope ladder." She pulled herself into the helicopter. "How the hell did he know where to find me?" She could quite clearly see White in the other helicopter. 

Krit shook his head as he flew the helicopter around the buildings. "I don't know, but he hit LA first. Zane's on his way to San Francisco. I figure there's got to be some sort of pattern and I don't think it's just an attempt to get to Jondy." 

Syl thought it though. "You remember when Manticore got hold of Zack? He compromised some of us. Lydecker must have written up a report on the whole thing. I'm willing to bet White got his hands on the report and is trying to pick us off one by one." 

Krit had to admit it made sense. "In that case, we'd better get hold of Max so we know who else White's heading for." Max had been with Zack when he had accidentally revealed their locations. "Buckle up, Sis." 

Syl did as she was told. "Whatever you're going to do, Krit, do it fast. White's within shooting range." Her stomach almost leapt into her throat as Krit flipped the helicopter so that it basically somersaulted backwards over the helicopter White was in. 

White had to quickly grab hold of the side of the helicopter to stop himself from being tipped out. He tapped the pilot on the shoulder with his gun. "I don't care what you do, but don't lose them." 

"Too late, Sir." The pilot was frantically searching the night sky. "They've disappeared." He checked the gages on the panel in front of him. "If you want to try another destination tonight, we're going to have to refuel." 

White banged his fist against the seat. "Fine. Just do it quickly. I want to be in San Francisco before they warn X5 210." He figured Jondy would be easier to find. British Eddie had told him a few months back that she had been pregnant. That meant she would be trying to run with a child. White smiled to himself. He could have her stopped by the Sector Police. All it would take was one phone call. 

Krit and Syl sat in the helicopter, floating behind a building. They waited until White was out of sight before breathing a sigh of relief. Syl brushed her hair out of her face. "That was way too close. What's the plan?" She glanced nervously at her brother. 

Krit moved the helicopter out from its hiding place. "First we ditch this bird, get a car and some cash, then we head for Seattle. Have you got your cell phone on you?" 

Syl nodded. "I'll try and get hold of Max. Why don't you find us a car, I'll get the cash." Working in a casino meant she knew how to dodge the cameras. It also meant she knew which table to play and win at. Half an hour later they were on their way to Seattle. Syl shrugged her shoulders. "Still no answer on any of the numbers we have for Max." 

Krit checked his watch for the time. "Give Zane another half hour then call him. If he's with Jondy, she's sure to know what's going on." 

Zane pulled his car up in front of the bar that Jondy worked at. It was nearly closing time but the place was packed. He had already phoned Julia to alert her to the fact they would have to move out immediately. He found that Jondy had prepared her family well. Julia was waiting for him with the children and Kera packed and waiting in a van. 

"I'll just go and get Jondy and then we'll get moving," Zane called out to Julia as he walked into the bar. Rather than waste his time walking around the bar trying to locate his sister, Zane walked straight up to her boss, Nigel. 

"Hey Zane. What brings you San Francisco?" Nigel reached across the bar and shook Zane's hand. 

"My sister's stalker's been seen heading this way. Sorry to do this to you man, but I have to get her and the children out of town." Zane knew Nigel had become used to Jondy disappearing. 

"What's this guy look like?" Nigel kept pouring drinks for the customers. "Maybe we can stall him for you." 

"Medium height, dark hair and eyes, carries a gun." Zane listed off. "Be careful with this guy, he's not picky who he shoots at. Where is my sister?" 

Nigel pointed at a group of guys dancing in the center of the floor. "In the middle of that lot. It's stops them from fighting when she dances with them. Does this stalker have a name?" 

Zane caught a glimpse of his sister. "Ames White." He hooked his fingers in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle. Everyone in the bar turned to face him. "Jess, your stalker's heading this way." 

Jondy pushed her way out of the crowd and grabbed the jacket Nigel held out for her. "Are the family packed and ready to go?" 

"Yeah." Zane took hold of her elbow to guide her out of the door. "All ready and waiting. We can't get hold of Max at the moment. Krit and Syl will meet us in Seattle. Any idea how White found me in LA and Syl in Las Vegas?" 

Jondy frowned up at Zane. "He actually found out where you were situated?" She watched Zane nod. "Damn. He's got hold of Lydecker's files. Lydecker would have written a report on the whole 'Zack escaping Manticore again' incident. At least Tinga and Zack are in different cities than they were at that time." 

Zane grabbed his bag and let the dog out of his car. "So any idea why we can't get hold of Max?" 

Jondy climbed into the front passengers seat as Zane climbed into the driver's seat of the van, his dog sitting between them. "She's in heat again. How long have you been trying to get hold of her?" 

"Ever since White turned up at my workplace in LA. I figure he's traveling by air cause Krit only just got to Syl in time." Zane started up the van. "Why?" 

Jondy reached underneath her seat and pulled out a brunette wig. "We'll have to sit outside Logan's apartment when we get to Seattle. The last thing we want to do is try and get through the Sector Points without Max jumping anything in trousers." 

"Good point." Zane kept his eyes on the road. "Any idea who else could be in that report of Lydecker's?" He had called the three X5's that had first occurred to him. 

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "As I said, Tinga and Zack have changed positions so they should be safe. White knows that Alec and Joshua are in Seattle somewhere along with Max. He may have found out that you and Max got hold of Rebecka, so we'll have to move her as well. It's probably best they all come with us." 

Zane gave his sister a quick glance, noticing how the brunette wig seem to make her eyes a clearer blue. "If we take Alec with us, does that mean we have to put up with Asha?" Despite Asha's fascination with Alec, Zane had still seen the blond eyeing up Logan. "I don't want to have to beat her off of Logan." 

Jondy flipped down the sun visor to make sure her wig was on straight in the tiny mirror behind it. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. We can take the van at Logan's and split into two teams. The minute we hit Seattle we can call Rebecka, Alec and Joshua. Max and Logan probably have the phones switched off or unplugged." 

Zane nodded in agreement. "Heads up, Sis, check point ahead." He held his breath until they were cleared to go through. "I guess White took it for granted that you wouldn't attempt to disguise yourself." 

Jondy giggled. "He took it for granted a long time ago that I'd be easy to catch. More fool him." 

Ames walked up to the bar and lent his arms on it. "Excuse me. Have you any idea where I can find Jessica?" He took a guess that Jondy was still using the same alias she had used when he had first seen her. "She's an English redhead with blue eyes, very pale skin, hard to miss." 

Nigel shook his head. "She's not working tonight, try tomorrow. Maybe her husband will let her come out and play." 

White frowned. "Husband? Does she by any chance have a child?" Maybe he could get some extra information. "I heard she was pregnant a while back." 

Nigel shook his head. "Nah, baby died at birth. I guess that's why Jess went crazy. I'm surprised her husband didn't put her in a hospital." Nigel kept his expression guarded. Jessica needed time to get some distance between her and this guy. 

White pretended to be sympathetic. "That's a shame. I really have to catch up with her, any idea where she lives?" 

Nigel scratched his head as though he were thinking. "I don't know the address but it's close to the Golden Gate Bridge." That had been where she had lived before she and Devon had adopted the girls. 

"Thanks." White turned and left the bar, unaware of the smug expressions of the crowd watching him leave. 

Alec paced back and forth in his apartment. "I can take it if you're not interested, Asha, just don't lie to me!" He stopped directly in front of the stunned blond. 

"Am I supposed to know what you're ranting about?" Asha had been out of town for the past month on S1W business. She had turned up at Alec's apartment, only to find him in a foul mood. 

"The key to Logan's apartment," Alec snarled. He couldn't help it. He had been boiling on this subject for a whole month. "He asked for it back. You told me you decided to give it back." 

Asha turned bright red. "I suppose Max told you that." She wasn't so bothered that Alec knew she had lied, it was more because she had been clumsy and not covered the lie better. 

"Max thought I already knew." Alec didn't know which stung him more, the fact that Asha had lied, or that she was admitting that she had lied. "Don't fool yourself, Asha, Logan's only interested in Max. He made that rather obvious when he didn't notice your absence at his Grandmother's funeral." He felt sick to his stomach. 

Asha's eyes widened in shock. "His Grandmother died? Is he alright?" The instant the words left her mouth, she knew it had been the wrong thing to say. She had never seen Alec look so cold. 

"He's fine. Max made sure of it." Alec had been the guy women cheated on their husbands or boyfriends with before, but he had never been the second choice. He never realized how much it hurt. He angrily spat out one last hateful comment before answering the ringing phone. "Even if Max wasn't around, what makes you think Logan would want you when he's got Jondy and Syl as back ups." 

Asha felt the color drain from her face as Alec snatched up the phone. She noticed how gentle his tone became when he realized who was on the other end of the phone. It had to be Jondy. Nobody else held Alec's affection the way the redhead could. Cursing herself, Asha turned and left the apartment. 

Alec heard his apartment door shut and knew Asha was gone. "No problem. I'll pick Joshua up on the way over." He said goodbye and grabbed the bag he kept packed on the way out the door. 

White had been banging on doors all morning. Nobody seem to know where to find Jessica, or if they did, they weren't saying. 

"Hey Mister." A voice called out from behind him. "You looking for Jessica and Devon?" 

White turned around to find a boy about ten years old watching him. His mind flashed back to the day he had found out that Jessica was X5 210. He had aimed his gun at her and a man had pushed her out of the way and taken the bullet himself. White could still hear her screaming the man's name. "Devon!" He looked down at the boy in front of him. "Yeah. Do you know where I can find them?" 

The little boy nodded. "Devon's at the cemetery. Sometimes I see Jessica there. Come on, I'll show you." He grabbed Ames' hand and started walking. "My name's Ty. What's yours?" 

White smiled down at Ty as he followed him. "Ames. How far is this cemetery?" He was wondering if it might not be a better idea to drive. 

Ty rounded a street corner and pointed. "There it is." He raced through the gates dragging White behind him. "He's just over here." He stopped suddenly in front of a gravestone. "See." 

White knelt down in front of the grave. "Devon Saunders. Loving Father. Loyal friend. Generous Son." He read the writing out loud. "It doesn't say anything about being a husband." He turned to find that Ty had disappeared. "What the hell is going on?" Looking back at the headstone he noticed the date of death. The shot he had fired had been fatal after all. 

The elevator doors opened on Logan's floor and Jondy, Zane and the family stepped out. Krit, Syl, Alec, Joshua and Rebecka were already sitting on the floor outside Logan's apartment door. There was a lot of banging and crashing going on inside the apartment. 

Zane looked concerned as he glanced at Jondy. "I guess you were right. Is Logan going to be alright in there with Max like that?" 

Jondy listened for a moment. "I can't hear him complaining. In fact I think he's enjoying himself." She looked down at her girls. "Alright, we have to wait out here for a while." The children dropped their sleeping bags on the floor and pulled books and games out of their bags. 

Belinda looked up at her mother at the sound of something smashing inside the apartment. "What are Aunty Max and Uncle Logan doing in there?" 

Everyone looked at Jondy to see how she would explain Max being in heat to her children. "They're wrestling," Jondy said simply and sat down in between Alec and Zane. "There goes the crystal vase on the sideboard." She muttered under her breath. She pulled a deck of cards out of her pocket and started shuffling. 

A few minutes later all of the adults were sitting in a circle playing cards. The children were either reading or playing games. When cries of 'Jesus' or 'Oh God' erupted from the apartment, the children would stop what they were doing and glance at their mother. Jondy kept playing cards. "They're praying." She would give as an explanation, but not look up. After about the fourth outburst, she looked up and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess they're really religious." The adults around her struggled not to laugh. Krit looked at his watch. "Well, I'm impressed. Logan's been keeping up with Max for the last four hours." 

Emma heard Krit's comment. "Is Uncle Logan a good wrestler?" The innocence of her comment almost broke the adults down into laughter. 

"By the sounds of it," Syl offered. "I'd say he's an excellent wrestler." There was the sound of something hitting the floor. She looked at Jondy. "Was that Logan's computer chair?" 

Jondy nodded. "I think the coffee table's a goner as well." She pulled a card out of Alec's sleeve. "Gin." She lay her cards down in front of her. 

Joshua gazed over at the door. "Can we go in and wrestle?" He was incredibly surprised by the joint 'No!' from all of the adults. "Just asking," he mumbled. 

Alec tried to join in whole-heartedly but he was still fuming from his argument with Asha. "Can't we just leave a note for Max to join us later? The longer we stay here, the more likely it is that White will catch up with us. We don't even know where he is at the moment." 

Zane frowned at Alec and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed the number he wanted and then waited for the phone on the other end to be picked up. "Hey Nigel. It's Zane. Any sightings of Jessica's stalker?" He listened for a few minutes and grinned. "Thanks for the help. We've been delayed for a while so the longer you can stall him, the better it is for us. Be careful though." Zane chuckled at the comment on the other end of the line. "I'll tell her. Thanks again. Bye." He put his phone away in his pocket. "Well Jondy, your boss has sent White on a wild goose chase. He told him you went crazy after losing your baby and that your husband won't let you leave the house. Then he sent him to the wrong address and a kid showed him Devon's grave. I'd say he's probably totally confused by now." 

Krit stretched his arms above his head. They had all been sitting still for too long. "So Ames is still in San Francisco. At least we still have some breathing space." He listened to the quiet for a moment. "Is it just me or has the wrestling stopped inside the apartment?" 

Syl starting dealing another hand of cards. "No, they've just moved to another room. I heard the shower being switched on." She started giggling. "If they keep this pace up, we'll have to carry Logan across the boarder." 

Alec glanced quickly at his cards. "What's the damage inside at the moment?" He nodded towards the apartment door. 

Jondy rubbed the back of her neck. "One computer chair, one coffee table, three crystal vases, the door to the guestroom, the dining table and at least two of the matching chairs." She rolled her head from side to side to loosen up her neck. "But that's only what I've counted since I got here. Who knows what else they tried wrestling on before we arrived." 

Rebecka looked at her daughter in shock. "This happens to you girls, three times a year? How can you afford the damages?" 

Syl shook her head. "Jondy usually works through hers, I usually visit Krit and he keeps an eye on me for mine. Max is lucky she has someone to help her take the edge off. We don't usually totally destroy our homes." 

Jondy giggled. "I broke a door down with a guy one time, during one of my cycles." 

Krit nudged his sister. "Didn't you end up with a bullet wound in your side?" He shook his head in disbelief when Jondy nodded. "It's hard enough keeping Syl from bouncing off the walls." 

Zane grinned mischievously at Krit as he massaged Jondy's shoulders. "And how do you do that exactly?" 

Krit rolled his eyes. "I get her to alternate between sit ups, push ups and very interesting games of scrabble." He gave his brother a friendly shove. "She's my sister for God's sake." 

Jondy reached up to stop Zane's hands from massaging her shoulders. "Hey, it has gone awfully quiet in the apartment." She stood and picked the lock. Peering into the room to make sure it was safe to go in, Jondy gestured Zane to follow. 

The apartment was a mess. Broken furniture and ornaments were lying everywhere. Jondy gingerly stepped over the broken objects and stood outside Logan's bedroom door. Zane watched his sister, knowing that Jondy wouldn't have to knock on the door to let Max know they were there. Sure enough Max opened the bedroom door and stuck her head out. 

Max was surprised to see Zane and Jondy standing outside the bedroom door. She could tell by the serious looks on her sibling's faces that all was not well. "What's wrong?" She kept her voice low so that she didn't wake Logan. 

"We've gotta move out." Zane quietly explained. "White tracked me and Syl down and is currently being side tracked in San Francisco." 

"How did he find you guys?" Max realized what had happened as soon as she spoke the question. "He's found Lydecker's files." She leaned heavily against the doorframe. "I'll get my bag and be with you in a minute." 

Jondy frowned. "Aren't you going to wake Logan?" She glanced over Max's shoulder to the sleeping form still in the bed. "He can sleep in the van. We have to take my van and his anyway." 

Max's face filled with sorrow as she too watched Logan sleeping. "I can't put him in danger like that." She turned back to her siblings. "You know we'll end up facing off with White, once we get Julia and the girls across the boarder to safety. Logan won't be satisfied staying behind with the girls. He'll want to go with me." 

"Max, that's not your choice to make." Jondy could only imagine how Logan would feel waking up and finding out Max had skipped town. She saw the determined look fixed on Max's face. "You'd better leave him an incredible good bye letter." 

Max nodded. "I will. You guys start loading up the van, you know where Logan keeps the keys. I won't be long." 

Zane waited until the bedroom door shut before looking at Jondy. "She doesn't think that she'll be coming back, does she?" 

Jondy's face was just as determined as her sisters. "You know what happened last time. I don't think Logan could go through losing Max again." 

Zane pulled Jondy into a hug. "So we just have to make sure we get Max back to Logan safely." He felt Jondy relax slightly. "Come on, we'd better get the other van packed." 

Max sat perched on the end of the bed, her packed bag at her feet. This was so much harder than she had thought it would be. She quickly scribbled Logan a note and left it on the pillow on her side of the bed. Tears flowed freely down her face with the knowledge that she was doing the right thing, no matter how much it hurt. 

Jondy and Zane were waiting for her by the front door as Max cast the apartment one last look. So consumed by her sorrow was she, that she didn't notice Jondy slip away briefly. She didn't even see the looks of surprise on everybody's face when Logan wasn't with her. "What's the plan?" She handed her bag to Krit. 

Krit tossed the bag into the back of one of the vans. "Everybody's split evenly between the two vans. We'll have to smuggle Joshua past the check points, which is where Jondy and Alec come in." 

Syl climbed into the front passenger seat of one of the vans. "Come on. Let's get out of here before White guesses we know what he's up to." 

White stormed into the bar and slammed his hands down on the counter in front of Nigel. "How about you stop yanking my chain and tell me where to find Jessica." Everywhere he had been that day, he had been told a different story. Some said she was married, others said she was a single mother with ten children. A few people had actually told him that she was dead. No one seemed to know where she was. 

Nigel glared at the man before him. "She's long gone, knew you were coming. You won't find her till she wants you to." 

White lunged at Nigel, but found himself staring into the barrel of a sawed off shotgun. Slowly he backed away and walked out of the bar. He kicked the tire of the car he had rented. Then it dawned on him, they would head to Seattle. That's where X5 452 was. That's where he was going too. 

Logan rolled over, his arm reaching over for Max. He knew before he even opened his eyes that she had gone. His hand fell on a sheet of paper. He woke instantly and grabbed his glasses. Reading through the note she had left him, Logan shook his head in disbelief. Pulling on his robe, he marched around the apartment with the note still in his hand, looking for Max. This had to be a joke. 

"Logan!" Original Cindy let herself into the apartment as Jondy had purposely left the door open. The X5 had called Max's friend once they had passed the first checkpoint out of Seattle. 

Logan walked up to Max's friend. "She's gone." He held the note out for Original Cindy. "I can't believe she's gone." 

Original Cindy read through the note. "Looks as though it was a spur of the moment decision." Something caught her eye as she handed the note back. Turning the sheet of paper over she read the message on the back and smiled. "She's coming back, Boo." She showed Logan what she meant. The message on the back of the sheet of paper was in Jondy's handwriting. "Sister girls gonna make sure of it." 

Logan turned the sheet of paper over to see what she was talking about. In bold writing were the words. _We'll make sure Max gets back to you safely._ He rested his head in his hands. "I would have gone with her." 

Original Cindy sat down beside him, ignoring the ransacked appearance of the apartment. "She knew that and that's why she left without telling you. She didn't want you risking your life fighting beside her. She needs to keep her head in the game." 

Logan looked up at Cindy. "When did you talk to her?" He felt a brief moment of bitterness that Max had obviously spoken to her friend, but she had snuck out without a word to him. 

"About ten minutes ago." Original Cindy reached under the cushion she was sitting on and pulled out Max's cell phone. "Here you go, Boo." She handed Logan the phone thinking it was his. 

Logan shook his head and placed the phone on the arm of the sofa. "It's not mine, it's Max's. She's making sure I can't contact her. She must have called you on Jondy's phone." He ran his hand through his hair. "I gather Max called you from the van. Who's with her?" 

Cindy shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. Max mentioned two vans, so I'm thinking Jondy and her kids plus Julia and Kera for starters." 

Logan considered the odds for a moment. "If Jondy's in trouble, then Zane will be helping as well so it's a sure thing he's with them." He picked up his cordless phone. "There's one way to find out." 

Cindy grinned. "You're calling, Sister Girl." She hadn't agreed with Max's decision to leave Logan behind. There had been something in Max's tone when she had called that told Cindy that Jondy hadn't approved either. Jondy had said as much when she had called earlier. 

Logan nodded. The line rang a couple of times before a familiar male voice answered Jondy's cell phone. "Zane. It's Logan. Where's Jondy?" 

Zane watched Max and Joshua in the wing mirror of the van. 'Logan, I'm gonna have to get her to call you back once we get past the check point. She and Alec are having a domestic in front of the Sector police." 

"You've got ten minutes before I call back." Logan replied before hanging up his phone. 

Zane gazed out the windscreen once he had seen Joshua and Max sneak past the Sector Police. He chuckled at the diversion Jondy and Alec were causing. The officers on duty were staring in amazement at the couple screaming at each other. Zane cleared his throat knowing that Jondy and Alec would hear him, but the Sector Police wouldn't. "Ok folks, kiss and make up. Max and Joshua are through." 

"You cheated on me with that Blond," Jondy yelled at Alec, her black wig flowing around her shoulders. 

"You cheated on me with a gay guy.," Alec bellowed back. "And don't think I don't know the twins aren't mine." It felt good to let some of the rage out, even if it was a pretend fight. 

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, you got me on that one." She smiled sweetly at Alec. "So do you still love me?" 

Alec pulled her into a hug. "Yeah, I still love you."' He glanced over at the stunned officers. "Can we got through or what?" When the officers nodded, too shocked to speak, Alec waved at Zane to pull the van up. "Thanks." 

Zane waited for Jondy and Alec to climb into the van. "You two are unbelievable. Those cops didn't know what to do with you." 

"It worked didn't it." Jondy waited until they were a safe distance away before pulling the wig off. "Did Max and Joshua get in the other van?" She noticed Zane wasn't slowing down to pick anyone up. 

"Yeah." Zane handed Jondy's cell phone back. "Logan called before. Probably wants to know what the hell is going on. Did you get a look at what Max wrote in her note." 

Jondy noticed that Alec tensed up at the mention of Logan. "Yeah. It didn't tell him where we were going or why. Just that it was too dangerous for him to go with her." She turned to Alec. "What's the matter, Alec? You've been uptight about something since we were back in Seattle." 

Alec shrugged his shoulders. "It's not important. Don't worry about it." He should have known Jondy would notice his bad mood. 

"So this is about Asha then?" Zane had noticed that Alec hadn't made any move to include Asha in their trip. He was pretty sure Alec's reason for leaving Asha behind wasn't the same as Max's reason for leaving Logan behind. 

Alec nodded. "Like I said, it's not important." He looked up and found himself looking into Jondy's big blue eyes and the words just seemed to tumble out. "She lied to me. When I called her out about it, she didn't even seem bothered. She's still hung up on Logan. What is it about that guy that all the women go for?" 

Jondy smiled at Alec. "You're pissed because you realized you're in love with Asha. You hate it that she means so much to you. As for Logan, you'll have to ask Max what the big turn on is with him." 

"You don't find Logan the least bit attractive." Alec looked at her in disbelief. "You must be the only woman on the planet that doesn't." 

Zane looked over at Alec. "I don't know why you find that so hard to believe. After all, Jondy did give birth to twins who were fathered by a gay guy." 

Jondy's phone started to ring. "Hey, I'm a complex person." She answered her phone. "Hi Logan. How are the legs holding out?" 

Logan could feel his face turning red. "You were waiting outside the apartment, weren't you?" 

"Only for the last six hours." Jondy was completely unfazed by what had been going on in Logan's apartment. "Don't worry, I told the children that you and Max were wrestling. What can I do for you?" 

"Tell me where you are." Logan knew it wouldn't be that easy to get the answers he wanted from Jondy. "Hell, tell me what's going on." He needed something to give him hope. "Please." 

"We think White got hold of one of Lydecker's old files." Jondy would tell Logan only what she felt he needed to know. "Zane, Krit and Syl narrowly got away from White. From what we hear, he barely missed me. He knew where to find us Logan." 

"Ok, you are obviously not going to tell me where you're going." Logan would have to approach his questions a different way. "Who's with you and is everyone alright?" He was already working out his next steps. 

Jondy considered the question carefully before answering. "We're all fine. Ask Lydecker about his files. Somehow White got hold of one of them, you'll find your answers there." She hung up the phone before Logan could ask any more questions. 

"Jondy? Jondy!" Logan put his phone down and looked over at a very puzzled Original Cindy. "She says they're all fine. I know that Krit and Syl are with them and Zane mentioned Alec before." 

"I stopped by Joshua's on the way here." Original Cindy added. "He wasn't there so I'm thinking he's with them as well. I don't think they'd risk leaving Rebecka behind either." 

Logan ran the new information through his head. "They'll drop the children, Julia, Kera and Rebecka off somewhere safe. Joshua stands out too much, so Max will try and convince him to stay with the children." 

"Then what?" Original Cindy was confused. "I doubt this is just some weird family reunion." 

Logan looked her straight in the eyes. "They're bringing the battle home. They're gonna take on White." 

Max sat between Krit and Syl in the second van. It seemed as though they were constantly fighting a battle for their lives. She wondered for the hundredth time if Logan would ever forgive her for disappearing without saying goodbye properly. 

"Max, are you in there somewhere?" Syl waved her hand in front of her sister's face. 

Max forced a smile onto her face. "Yeah, I'm here. Did anyone call Tinga to let her know what's going on?" Even though Tinga had relocated, there was still a chance White might stumble across her. 

Krit nodded, but stayed concentrating on his driving. "I called her once Syl and I got to Seattle. She's moving Charlie and Case around for a couple of weeks so that they're not in one place for more than a day. Tinga told Charlie what's going on, but Case just thinks he's getting an educational trip of America. She's avoiding the states that we've all been sighted in." 

Max was relieved Tinga had already put a plan into action for the safety of her family. "I'd call Zack, but he doesn't remember us. If we try and build his memory back up, it could end up putting him in more danger. Besides, I doubt White would think of looking for any of us on a farm." 

Syl pulled her long blond hair into a ponytail and secured it with a clip. "It feels kinda strange doing all of this without Zack though." She looked questioningly at Max. "I know you left Seattle without Logan so he wouldn't be in danger, but is he really safer in Seattle? White's sure to head back there at some point." 

Max struggled to hold the tears back. "As long as he's not fighting beside me, then White won't go looking for him. I did what was best for everyone." Somehow knowing what she said was true, did not make her feel any better. 

Krit noticed that Zane had pulled the front van over to the side of the road. "Looks as though we're either stopping to stretch our legs or swapping some passengers around." He pulled their van in behind Zane's. He waited for a moment, watching his brother get out of the van and thump it's side. When Jondy and Alec appeared, Krit knew what was happening. "Looks like we're taking a stretch and food break. Everybody out." 

It had grown dark by this time so Joshua finally had a chance to walk around freely without supervision. Jondy checked on each of her children before joining Max by the side of the road. "How are you holding up?" Jondy was carrying a twin on each hip. 

Max held her arms out to take one of the twins. "As well as can be expected." She saw that Alec looked as bad as she felt. "What's up with Alec? Did you guys tell him he couldn't bring Asha along?" 

Jondy looked over her shoulder at Alec. "He found out Asha lied to him and he's not taking it too well. I don't think he even considered bringing her along." She turned back to Max. "Logan called. I think you scared the hell out of him." 

Max looked worried. "You didn't tell him where we were heading, did you?" 

Jondy shook her head. "No. He did ask though. You didn't exactly explain anything in your note, did you." 

Max looked guilty. "I guess not. It won't take Logan long to figure out White's on the rampage again." She looked down at the child in her arms. "I know you think I should have included Logan in this trip, Jondy. I just couldn't live with myself if anything happened to him because I was selfish and wanted him with me." 

Jondy heard her cell phone beep. "It's not important now." She checked the message on her phone. "That was quick." 

Max's brow creased in confusion. "What was quick? Who's texting you?" 

"Logan." Jondy pushed a speed dial number. "Hey it's me hitting you back." 

Logan was taken by surprise by Jondy's response on the phone. It was exactly what Max said to him when he paged her. "White's back in Seattle. Matt Sung called before. It appears that White has alerted the Sector Police to look out for you with a child. Then about five minutes ago the alert was changed to you, Max, Alec and some children, at least one being a baby." 

"Damn it." Jondy rolled her eyes. "Syl's going to have to get us through the next check point. Thanks for the heads up, Logan." 

Logan had been working with his contacts all afternoon and most of the evening to ensure the X5 family's safe passage. "Just be careful. I'll let you know if I find out anything else. Jondy, tell Max I understand why she left like she did. Tell her I love her." If Max wouldn't talk to him, then he would reach her another way. 

"Will do. Bye." Jondy hung up the phone and shoved it back in her pocket. "Well, Max, Logan says he understands why you left as you did and he loves you. Also White's back in Seattle and he's upped the odds. The Sector Police are now looking for you, me and Alec as well as the children." 

Max groaned. "Great. It's hard enough sneaking Joshua past the Sector Points. How are we going to sneak fourteen children, Joshua, and Alec passed them?" 

Zane heard their conversation as he walked up behind them. "We've only got one more check point to get past. I have an idea but it means we won't be crossing the boarder. Only Julia, Kera, Rebecka, Joshua and the girls will cross the boarder. The rest of us will be heading back to Seattle to stop White, for once and for all." 

Max snapped to attention. "We're listening. What's your plan?" 

It was a few minutes before midnight when the two vans pulled up to the checkpoint. "Hey, Warwick." One of the two Sector Police Officers on duty called out to his friend. "You got that photo that was faxed through to us?" 

"It's right beside you, Bruce." Warwick poured himself a cup of coffee. "You think this might be what White's looking for?" He nodded to the two vans. 

"Could be." Bruce looked over the photo. "Can't say it would be a hardship putting cuffs on these beauties. I think we might have to frisk them as well." He grinned at his friend. "All in the line of duty, of course." 

Warwick took a look at the photo in his friend's hand. "God, I love my job." He grinned back at his friend. He looked up from the photo in time to see Syl jump onto the roof of the back van, closely followed by Jondy without a disguise and Max. 

"Move that van out of the way." Bruce banged on the side of the front van as he drew his revolver from his holster. "Now." He didn't see Joshua sneaking past the checkpoint to wait for the van to get through the other side. 

Warwick and Bruce moved in front of the second van. "Come on down ladies. Nice and easy." Warwick called out, his gun raised. They hadn't noticed that Kera had pulled the front van through the checkpoint and Joshua was now climbing in. 

Alec shoved the van in reverse and floored the gas pedal. The van screeched backwards as the three women threw themselves down onto the roof of the van. Alec quickly, but careful spun the van around and shifted gears. Once he was sure they were safe, he slowed the van down enough for Krit and Zane to help the women back into the van without coming to a complete stop. "Seattle, here we come." 

Lydecker opened the door, surprised that he had visitors at this time of night. "What's happened to Max?" Donald Lydecker knew that was the only reason Logan would visit, especially this late at night. 

"White got hold of one of your old files." Logan invited himself in. "Want to guess which one?" When Lydecker remained silent Logan continued. "Let me give you a hint then. He knew exactly where to head to find Syl, Zane and Jondy. Ringing any bells yet?" 

Lydecker knew what Logan meant. "That file was encrypted and in a private safe. How the hell did he get it, let alone break the encryption?" He closed the door and turned to face Logan. Even back then he hadn't trusted Renfro to leave that particular file unsecured. 

Logan stood, hands in his pockets. "A contact of mine turned up a suspicious death of a Private Merchants. He also managed to find one very frightened witness later that saw White murder Merchants. It turns out Private Merchants was some sort of whiz kid when it came to encrypted codes. That answer your questions?" If it took the rest of his life, Logan knew he would never understand Donald Lydecker's actions. 

"I take it my kids have regrouped and moved out." Lydecker cursed himself for not destroying all his files when he had the chance. He tried to remember if there were any other files that he hadn't had time to get rid of or felt would be secure enough to be left behind. 

"Just the ones who had returned to their lives they had been living previously." Logan shrugged his shoulders. "As far as I can tell anyway. I have a feeling they'll move their civilian family to safety and then return to Seattle to finish the fight." 

Lydecker raised his eyebrow. "Do you know where to find White?" He knew his kids well enough to know Logan was right. They would finish the war White had started. 

"Not yet." Logan started heading for the door. "But I will." Lydecker had just confirmed what he had feared. The X5's were going up against White. 

"Logan." Lydecker waited for the younger man to stop. "Their ace up their sleeve is Jondy. They know that." 

Logan nodded. "I know. I also know of fourteen children that just want their mom to come home safe." He walked out of the door and shut it behind him. He had his own reason for wanting all of the X5s home safely and it was entirely selfish. Logan knew that Max would never forgive herself if she lost another sibling in a fight that affected them all. "Come home safe, Max," he murmured into the night. 

The five X5s sat on the roof of the van at dawn watching the facility before them. Max had used the computers inside the van to trace the call that was made at the last checkpoint they had crashed through. She had correctly guessed it would be made to White alerting him of their position. 

"Ok." Alec thought for a moment. "Most memorable sexual experience." They had been playing this game for the last half an hour while they observed the security around the facility. "For myself I would have to say it was this contortionist I got with. Man, the positions she could get herself into." 

"You would have to pick that subject." Max rolled her eyes. "Don't you think of anything else?" 

Alec held up his hands in defense. "Hey, we already did favorite color, most embarrassing moment and favorite book." 

Zane shook his head in amusement. "Fine. Mine would be this girl I knew called Lena. She had a thing for handcuffs. She was so good, I didn't have the heart to tell her I could pick the locks on them and set myself free." 

"Andrea," Krit chimed in. "There was nothing kinky about her, but she sure as hell had stamina." 

"You know," Syl cut in. "These are not really details I want to know about my brothers." She had to admit, though, it was certainly cutting through the boredom. When the guys all groaned, she tutted. "Alright. I don't remember his name, probably because I was in heat at the time. It was before Krit started keeping an eye on me. We went back to his place and christened every room. And there were a lot of rooms." 

Everyone looked at Max. "Logan." When everyone groaned, she laughed. "Not because of his abilities that you all apparently heard while waiting for me outside of his apartment. It's because he was the first guy, where it wasn't just a case of him scratching an itch I had. He actually paid attention to what I wanted and needed." 

It was Jondy's turn. "Devon." She saw the shocked looks on her siblings' faces. "The first time." Their shock increased. "Devon didn't believe me that it was part of our training at Manticore, to make it difficult to get an X5 drunk. So we set out to prove it one weekend when Julia was away. Devon decided it was unfair for me to drink alone and we both ended up drunk, although I was considerably less drunk than he was. One thing led to another. It was the first time that the sex had actually been good for me. I guess he made me feel safe. I'd never had that before. When we sobered up in the morning Devon told me he was gay." 

"Jondy wins that round," Alec hastily decided. Sex had always pretty much been a great way to pass spare time to him. He realized now that it wasn't the same for everyone. 

"I've got one," Krit quickly changed the subject. "Most hated training maneuver at Manticore. Mine was anything that involved running through those damn woods." 

"Learning to play the piano for field work," Alec added. He had actually enjoyed his training, so it was the best he could do. "Although it is a handy trick for pulling the women in." 

"Anything with guns." Max shuddered as she remembered Eva being killed. 

"Staying under water." Jondy could remember Jack being so frightened under the water and panicking. "I hate water unless it's in a bath or a shower." 

Zane laughed as his addition popped into his head. "Anything that got me up at the crack of dawn. I'm not a morning person." 

Max nudged Jondy and pointed to a building off to the side of the facility. "I'm thinking that's the weapons shed. That should probably be our first stop." 

Krit raised his eyebrows. "Well, considering how much Max and Jondy hate guns, I sure as hell hope they have some explosives for you girls to play with." 

Jondy reached out and tugged on Zane's arm. "What the hell are all of those boys doing here?" She gestured to the children walking around the compound. "And who or should I say what is she?" 

Max instantly recognized the group. "She would be the High Priestess. Those kids are going to be a problem. I had one levitate me across the room once. I had to flash him to get the upper hand." 

The three men looked over at Jondy. Jondy shook her head. "I am not flashing a bunch of hormonally challenged little boys." She smiled sarcastically. "Hell, I'm not flashing a bunch of hormonally challenged big boys." 

Zane put his arm around his sister's shoulders. "You won't have to flash them, Sis. Just stand in full view and let their hormones do the rest." 

Jondy rolled her eyes. "God, does my life suck. Remind me if I ever find the asshole that decided to make me the Manticore distraction, to break the bastard's neck." 

"Sis, if we ever find out who that is." Zane stood and helped his sister up. "I'll hold the bastard while you snap." 

"Hey, I've been up against these kids before," Max reminded them. "That is not an experience I want to repeat, but those kids deserve a life other than the freakish one we had before we escaped." 

Alec hopped down from the van roof. "Well maybe Jondy can convince them to be good little psychos and fight for the good guys." He was joking but Jondy had a way with children and most males. If anyone could do it, she could. 

Krit jumped down next to Alec. "So Jondy plays mommy to the brats while we go looking for explosives to play with. Just another average Friday morning." 

"For us anyway." Syl slid down the front of the van. "What about that Priestess bitch? I doubt she's just going to let us take her brats away." 

"We take her out of the equation," Alec offered. "I'll go with Jondy. Just make sure you find me a nice Colt Python .357 Magnum." He gave them a smart-ass grin. 

Max shook her head at him. "Let's go shopping." 

"Got it." Logan yelled triumphantly, causing Original Cindy to run in the room. "I've found White. Can you stick by the phone incase Max or Jondy phone in." 

Original Cindy nodded. "I've got you covered, Boo. Just be careful. Max will never forgive herself if you get caught in the cross fire." 

Logan loaded his gun and pulled on his jacket. "I'm stopping off for back up. Hopefully I'll return with Max and the rest of the family." He flashed Cindy a quick smile and left. 

The X5s had made it easily over the fence before splitting up. Alec and Jondy headed towards the High Priestess and the boys. Alec stopped Jondy before she moved into view. Pulling his pocketknife out, Alec sliced the sleeves on Jondy's long sleeved top. "I'll buy you a new one later," he assured a visibly annoyed Jondy. "I'm just working with what you've got." He sliced the bottom of the top off, turning it into a crop top. "And, Sis, you've got it going for ya." 

Jondy swatted him around the head. "Quit talking about me like that. You're making me feel like taking a hot shower to degrease myself." She walked out in front of the boys. "Hey, boys, can any of you drive?" 

Alec zapped around in front of the High Priestess. "Hey, Baby. Going my way." He was somewhat surprised when the woman pulled a knife on him. "Well, that's not nice. You're not being a good example to these boys." He ducked the knife but got caught in the arm. "Bitch." He reached up and snapped the woman's neck. As he straightened himself up, Alec found himself flying across the compound. "Hey, Jondy said we had to get you kids to safety. Nobody mentioned Wonder Woman there." 

Jondy quickly tried to convince the boys that they were there to help before Alec suffered any more injuries. "Listen. This place is about to blow. You guys have to get out of here. Your mothers were killed by these assholes. Don't tell me you're going to let them have died in vain." 

The kids looked visibly shaken by what Jondy had said. "You're lying," one of the boys spoke up. 

Alec got to his feet, the knife still sticking out of his arm. "Why would she lie to a bunch of kids. For some reason Jondy doesn't want you to be just another science experiment. What have you got to lose?" 

Jondy pulled the knife out of Alec's arm and threw it on the ground. "Alec's right. All I'm asking is that you wait outside the fence line where it's safe. Give us half an hour. If we're lying you can come back in." She could see the others laying the charges around the facility behind the boys. 

The boys considered what she was saying for a moment. "You've got thirty minutes." The boy who was obviously the leader of the group spoke up. "We'll take care of you ourselves if you're lying." He motioned the others to follow him. 

Once the boys were safely out of range, Alec and Jondy joined the others. The back of the facility sat on the dock of the water. "You've got thirty minutes before the demon spawn want back in." Alec announced as he started to help lay the charges. 

Zane cast his sister a confused look. "Jondy, what the hell happened to your top. I seem to remember there being more of it." 

Jondy saw Logan's Aztec pull up to the dock. "It's a new designer. The kids seem to like it." 

Krit chuckled. "The amount of flesh you're flashing, baby sister, they'd have to be blind not to like it." 

"I'm certainly impressed." White was standing behind them with half a dozen armed men. "Tell me what you've done with the boys and I'll consider letting you go." He smiled at Jondy. 

Syl let out a short sharp laugh. "Yeah right. Now tell us how Cinderella lived happily ever after with the Prince. We've been dying to hear a good fairytale all morning." 

Max saw Logan and Lydecker get out of the Aztec. "Jondy, have you been making phone calls to my boyfriend again?" She prayed her sister would realize she was picking a make believe fight. 

Jondy could also see Logan and Lydecker out of the corner of her eye. "Well, you don't want him so why shouldn't I have him?" She signaled behind her with hand signals. 

Max took a step forward and shoved her sister. "Who says I don't want him. You always want what's mine." 

Moving as one Max and Jondy kicked Ames White in the groin. All six X5s moved quickly to disarm and disperse of the other men. Since the charges were on a timer the X5s made a run for it, but White jumped up in front of Jondy. 

Lydecker opened fire with his semi automatic but White never flinched. "What the hell did you say he was?" 

"He calls himself a familiar. Basically he's just some sicko who has the hots for Jondy." Logan saw Max heading over to the group of boys outside the fence. "Can you actually hit him without getting Jondy?" 

Lydecker shook his head. "Not at this angle. We're too far away for either of us to get a direct shot." 

Jondy faked a run to White's left and then ran to his right. Just as White grabbed her arm and spun her around, Jondy hit the speed dial on her cell phone that was clipped to her belt. The signal from the phone was enough to set the charges off. Jondy went flying backwards into the water courtesy of the young boys Max had been talking to. White was frantically trying to put his clothes out as the explosion had set him alight. 

Lydecker peered into the water trying to spot Jondy. "Where is she? Jondy hates the water. She can't be staying under on purpose." He remembered that from the training he had put them through at Manticore. 

Logan tore his jacket, glasses and shoes off and dove into the water. The water wasn't very clear so it took him a couple of dives to find her. 

The X5s came running up to the dock prepared to jump in after their sister. Before they could get to the water, White found where he had dropped his gun and started firing. They all dropped to the ground but not before Max took a bullet in the shoulder. 

Lydecker helped pull Jondy out of the water behind White. Logan grabbed his jacket and put it around Jondy. Her face was covered in burns. As he stood with Jondy in his arms, Logan picked up his gun cocking it. Lydecker picked his semi automatic up and started walking towards White making sure when weapon fired that it didn't hit the X5s. 

Jondy opened his eyes. "Logan?" Her normally blue eyes had changed to white from the exposure to the blast from the explosion. 

"We're going to get you out of here, Jondy." Logan was worried. It was obvious Jondy couldn't see him. He didn't have enough medical knowledge of the transgenic kind to be sure she would recover her sight. 

White spun around to see who was firing at him. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Jondy in Logan's arms. He glared at Lydecker. "You're supposed to be dead." As he moved to fire at Lydecker, Logan fired the gun he still had in his hand. Despite not wearing his glasses, Logan's shot was spot on. 

Zane ran up to Logan and took Jondy out of his arms. "Max has been hit, it looks pretty bad." He stood aside to let Logan get to Max. 

Krit was sitting with Max's head in his lap while Syl frantically tried to patch up Max's shoulder. Alec stood off to the side, not really knowing what to do. 

Logan knelt down beside Max. "Hey. Do you think you're up for a trip to visit Beverly? We've got to drop by anyway. Jondy got too close to that explosion." 

"Is she alright?" Max couldn't see her sister from where she was lying and it hurt to move too much. 

Alec saw Jondy cradled in Zane's arms and quickly covered his shock at her condition. "She's gonna be fine, Max. Just a couple of burns." 

Logan carefully picked Max up so that he didn't jar her shoulder. "Let's go then. Beverly will be missing us. We haven't visited her in at least a week." 

Syl grabbed Logan's glasses and his shoes. "What about all of those kids?" She gently put the glasses on his face. "We can't just leave them here." 

Krit spotted another van close by. "I'll hot wire that." He pointed over to the van. "We'll take the kids with us, figure the rest out later." 

Zane made sure that he kept Jondy out of Max's view. "Fine, let's do it. I just wanna get the hell out of here." He was worried, Jondy's breathing sounded strange to him. 

"I'll follow in the Aztec." Lydecker kicked White's body as he walked past. "Nobody touches my kids," he muttered. 

Jondy rested her head on Zane's shoulder. "That would have been touching if he hadn't been the King of our childhood hell." 

They all made their way back to the van except Krit and Syl who went to get the frightened group of boys and the other van. 

A couple of hours later, Beverly Shankar left the examination room to talk to the group waiting outside. "Max is going to have to take it easy for a couple of days, but she was lucky. The bullet missed all of her vital organs." He noticed the relief flood Logan's face. "Jondy is slightly more serious. The burns on her face are already healing but it's a case of wait and see with her eyesight. I'm sorry I can't be more positive." 

Zane hated hospitals. The sterile surroundings were too much like Manticore. "Can we get them out of here. No offence, doc, but leaving them in a hospital means they're easy targets." 

Bevery nodded that she understood. "Just make sure you get both of them back here in a couple of days so that we can see how they're doing. Bed rest for both of them." She warned. 

"No problem. Thanks, Bev." Logan shook his friend's hand before walking into the room and up to the bed Max was in. "So there I was asleep in my bed and I suddenly realized you weren't there." He sat down on the edge of the bed. "Then I find a note saying that you love me, but it's too dangerous for me if you stay." Logan struggled to stop the smile from crossing his face from what he was about to say. "So I call your sister and she tells me, we had an audience before you left for at least six hours. The children think we were wrestling." 

"Jondy did some quick thinking." Max managed a small smile. "She also told them we were religious. I guess we got a bit vocal." Max gave Logan a worried look. "So I guess you're pretty mad at me." 

Logan reached out and stroked Max's cheek. "I'm not mad. You scared the hell out of me but I'm not mad. I would have run with you. Don't you get it? We're a team. If somebody goes after you, it affects both of us. You run, I run." 

Tears began to run down Max's face. "It's not that easy." 

"It is if you want it to be." Logan kissed her forehead. "Come on. Beverly says that you can go home as long as you stay in bed for a couple of days." 

Max looped her good arm around Logan's neck and hugged him. "I've missed you." She looked over Logan's shoulder and saw Zane carrying Jondy out of the room. She caught the worried look on Alec's face. "What's wrong with Jondy? I thought she just had a couple of burns." 

"She's blind, Max." Logan tried to break the news to her gently. "Beverly isn't sure if the blindness will be permanent or not. I'll call Peter and set your siblings up at my Grandmother's place. When we're sure it's safe than Zane and Krit are going to go and bring the others back." 

Max got dressed and let Logan carry her out of the room even though she could walk. Once they were seated in the van, Max crawled over to Jondy and touched her shoulder. 

Jondy covered Max's hand with her own. "It's alright, Max. I'll be just fine. Can we get out of here? I'm starving." 

Alec sat the other side of Jondy and held her hand. "Hey, maybe Zane can lend you his dog until your eyes heal." He felt Jondy squeeze his hand. "And I can help you out with stuff if you want." 

Krit slapped Alec on the back. "Sounds like you've got it all worked out. Syl and I will meet you back at the Cale Mansion. We found out some of those kids have family close by, so we're going to drop them off." He kissed Jondy on the top of her head. "Catch ya later, Sis." 

Later that night, Zane watched his sister feel her way along the wall. "You need something, Jondy? Cause you're suppose to stay in bed." It killed him to see her so helpless. Julia had his dog with her and the children for the moment. He wasn't willing to bring the children back until he was positive that it was safe. 

Jondy shook her head. "No. Just getting a feel for things. Think you can take a look at my phone? It got kinda water logged when I took that dip in the dirty water." 

"Sure." Zane took the hand she reached out to him. "You know, I think Max and Logan are gonna be ok. Logan seems to be in this for the long run." 

"If Max will let him." Jondy patted her brother's arm. "It's pretty hard to include people in your life when you're so used to being alone. Still, Logan's a patient man." 

Logan swept up the last of the evidence of his and Max's sexual marathon as Original Cindy walked out of the bedroom. "Is she finally asleep?" 

Original Cindy nodded. "My Boo is clean wiped out. You think you got through to her about skipping out on you?" 

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "That might take some time. I'm not going anywhere though. Are you heading home or would you like to use the guestroom tonight?" 

"The guestroom, if you don't mind." Original Cindy shook her head. "Sister girl gave me a fright too. I just want to keep my eye on her for a little bit. That is if I'm not intruding." 

Logan chuckled. "I think Max needs both of us close by for a little while. Still, that's one more bad guy down." 

"You don't think it's over though." Original Cindy eyed him suspiciously. "You think there's another bad guy just waiting around the corner." There was something in Logan's tone that made the hair stand up on the back of her neck. 

Logan chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. "White worked for someone and he or she is still out there. Then there's the South Africans, just because they've been quiet doesn't mean they've given up. The CDC started asking questions when Max ended up at Harbor Lights hospital. Maybe I'm just being a pessimist, but I don't think this is the end of it." 

They sat in the dimly lit room contemplating what new trials tomorrow would bring. One thing was sure they would face them all together. 

_The End_


	29. Too Good To Be True

**"Too Good To Be True"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Julia, Kera, Rebecka, Jondy's children, Devon, Graham and the building crew however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

The Steelheads see a way to make a lot of money when they stumble across the X5's staying at the Cale Mansion.

**Timeframe:**

Season 2

**Rating:**

R - some graphical violence and swearing

**Category:**

Action, Drama

* * *

Logan felt the morning sun hit his face. He groaned and rolled onto his side opening his eyes to find a pair of chocolate brown eyes watching him. "You alright?" He saw such pain in her eyes. "Your shoulder's not giving you any trouble is it?" 

Three days before, Logan had shot Ames White, but not before White had shot Max. As a result of the X5 siblings trying to stop White for once and for all, Jondy had lost her sight. They were still waiting to find out if she would regain her eyesight. 

"I was going to ask you the same thing, except the bit about my shoulder." Max was convinced Logan was mad at her for running off with her family and not telling him. He kept telling her, he wasn't mad at her, but she wasn't so sure. Logan had barely touched her since they had returned home from the hospital. 

"I'm fine." Logan was confused by her comment. "The contractors are due to start work on the mansion tomorrow. Do you think your family will mind being split between here, Joshua's place and Original Cindy's?" He tried not to jostle her, afraid he might hurt her. 

"I'm sure that will be alright." Max moved a little closer to Logan. "Jondy's going to stay here, right?" She tried not to look hurt when Logan moved away. 

Logan sat up and swung his legs out of the bed. "Sure. I guess that means we'll have Zane bunking on the sofa." 

"I knew it." Max announced as she struggled to sit up. "You are mad at me for running out on you." Although she healed quickly, Max was still in a lot of pain from her shoulder. 

"I already told you I wasn't mad." Logan moved back beside Max on the bed. "Why would you think that." He carefully put his arm around her shoulders. 

Max snuggled closer. "You've barely touched me since we got home. You keep calling Original Cindy over and you disappear for hours." The truth was, she felt guilty about the way she had snuck out when he was sleeping to fight White with her family. 

Logan marveled at how much Max could actually be the normal girl she longed to be. "First of all I know how much your shoulder is hurting you and I didn't want to make it worse. Secondly, I didn't want to leave you alone while I organized the renovations to the mansion, so I called Original Cindy. I also didn't want you to cut yourself off from your friends just because you moved in with me." He couldn't believe she had thought he was mad at her. It was taking every once of strength he had not to jump her bones. 

"So we're alright?" Max still had trouble believing someone like Logan could love a genetic freak like her. 

Logan kissed the top of her head. "Yeah. We're alright. I'm going to pick up a few pieces of furniture to replace the ones we broke, so I won't be long. Did you want to go with me?" The real reason he had been calling Original Cindy over to watch Max, was that he was afraid of coming home and finding her gone again. 

"Nah, I think I'll have a soak in the bath." Max was feeling a little more reassured. "Besides, your car will be pretty full." She figured Jondy and Zane might be coming back with Logan. 

"How about I make you breakfast before I go." Logan realized he couldn't wrap Max up in cotton wool. She would always be in some sort of danger because of what she was. He had to find a way of dealing with that or risk losing her. 

Max smiled up at him. "Sounds good." She followed Logan to the kitchen to watch him cook, taking her usual seat on top of one of the preparation benches. 

Alec raced around the mansion in a panic. Where the hell was she? He finally located Zane on the bottom floor. "Jondy's gone. One minute she was up to neck in bubbles and now she's gone." 

"Calm down Alec." Zane tried not to panic himself. "She has to be around here somewhere. Have you looked outside? She likes walking around the flower garden." 

I looked from the balcony and couldn't see her." Alec saw Logan walk in the front door. "She wouldn't try and go out by herself would she?" 

"What's wrong?" Logan walked up the two X5 men. 

"Jondy was taking a bath and now she's missing." Zane felt sure she was still somewhere in the mansion. 

"Which bathroom was she using?" Logan followed Alec up the stairs into one of the many bathrooms. He looked at the bathtub filled with soap sudded water for a moment. He crouched down by the tub and knocked on the side of the tub. "Jondy." 

The water moved slightly before Jondy's head appeared from under the soapy water. "What's the matter?" She reached out for a towel to wipe the soap suds off of her face. 

Logan chuckled as he carefully wiped Jondy's face for her. "Your brothers didn't know about your tendency to lay underneath the water's surface." He turned to the astonished X5 men. "Max does that all the time." 

"Yeah, but Jondy hates the water." Zane suddenly realized that Logan knew more about his sisters than he did. 

"It's different." Jondy opened her eyes and looked in the general direction she could hear the voices coming from. "You know, I am entitled to take a bath by myself. I'm blind, not an invalid." Her head was aching and she was getting grumpy at her brothers being so over protective. 

Alec grabbed a couple of towels and a bathrobe and placed them beside the bathtub. "Sorry. I guess we did over react a little." He noticed that the burns on Jondy's face had healed and left pink patches on her face. "We'll wait downstairs for you. There's towels and a bathrobe by the tub." He headed out the door before the others could see how worried he had been. 

Zane knelt beside the bath tub. "You scared the hell out of us Jondy. Are there any other habits you have that I've lost touch with?" 

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think so. Can you tell Krit and Syl to keep it down. They're giving me a headache." 

Zane leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. "Sure. No problem." He stood and left the room with Logan right behind him. "So, to what do we owe this visit, Logan?" 

Logan closed the bathroom door behind him so that Jondy got some privacy. "The renovations start tomorrow so I came to let you guys know. I thought Jondy could stay in my guestroom. The sofa's yours if you want it. Krit and Syl can probably stay with Original Cindy. Plus I need to replace some of my furniture which got broken accidently a few days ago." 

Zane chuckled. "I highly recommend you stick to the bedroom next time Max goes into heat. Less furniture gets broken that way." He banged on a bedroom door. "Krit, you and Syl are going to have to stay at Original Cindy's. The renovations start tomorrow. Oh and Jondy says can you keep the noise down, she's getting a headache." 

A muffled answer came from behind the door. Logan couldn't hear what Krit was saying, but Zane seemed pretty satisfied with the answer. "So I'll see you and Jondy around seven tonight." 

Zane nodded. "Sounds fine to me. I'll probably drop Jondy off and go and stay with Alec. So I'm guessing you need a new coffee table for starters. Come on. I'll help you load the car." 

Original Cindy sat beside Max on the sofa. "You're looking much better Boo. You've actually got some color in your cheeks." She noticed that Max still seemed a little down. "How's the shoulder healing?" 

Max shrugged her good shoulder. "It's still a little sore. I think Jondy's a lot worse off then I am." She grinned at her friend. "Are you sure you don't mind Krit and Syl staying with you? Jondy called a couple of minutes ago. She says Syl's in heat this time but Krit's taking care of her, whatever that means." 

"It's fine." Original Cindy studied Max's expression for a moment. "You know how freaked Logan gets when you get hurt, right?" She paused long enough for Max to nod. "Then don't take it personally if he's afraid of hurting you. I don't how the boy's managed to restrain himself this long." 

"I guess." Max moved her injured shoulder slightly to test it out. "He doesn't have to completely avoid touching me though. It just means we have to get a little more creative." She groaned. "Which is going to be even more difficult with Jondy in the guest room and Zane on the sofa." 

Original Cindy wiggled her eyebrows. "Where's your sense of adventure, Sugar." 

Max giggled. "The last time we used our sense of adventure, we broke the coffee table and a lot of other pieces of furniture." 

"Nuf said." Original Cindy shook her head. "So where is hot boy?" 

"Over at the mansion." Max tucked her legs underneath her. "Getting us a new coffee table and letting the others know about the renovations starting tomorrow." 

Original Cindy chuckled. "I hope this coffee table's stronger than the last one. The chuckle turned into full blown laughter when Logan and Zane walked in the door carrying a coffee table. 

"Where's Jondy?" Max couldn't see her sister with the two men. She had assumed that Logan would be bringing her back with him. 

Logan put the coffee table down in front of the two women with Zane's help. "She's back at the mansion. Alec's keeping an eye on her." He leaned forward to give Max a quick kiss. 

"I'll bring her over later." Zane assured his sister. "She's been getting pretty bad headaches the last day or so. I don't really want to move her around too much." 

"That could be part of the healing process." Max suggested. "That's the down side of healing faster than your average human. Double the pain." 

"So how's the shoulder?" Zane sat down in the armchair. He had noticed his sister was keeping her arm on her injured side tucked in close to her body. 

"It's healing." Max caught Logan's eye. "I just have to be a little creative at the moment so that I don't jar it." 

Zane smirked. "Logan, I'll help you unpack the rest of the car when I bring Jondy back tonight." He turned to Original Cindy. "You want to come back to the mansion with me? I may need some help getting Krit and Syl out of the room they're in." 

Original Cindy could tell by the expression on Zane's face that he was trying to give Max and Logan some time alone. "Sure. It'll give me a chance to visit Jondy." 

Zane walked towards the door. "See you guys at seven." He waited for the elevator doors to close. "Well that gives them seven hours. Think they'll use them well." He grinned at Original Cindy. 

"If Sister Girl has anything to say about it, they will." Original Cindy chuckled at the tall man. "When did you start playing matchmaker?" 

"Since I started spending more time with my sisters." He grimaced. "They may be rubbing off on me. That can't be good." 

Jondy eased herself down into a chair. "So, are you going to tell me what's been on your mind for the past week? It's more than catching Asha lying to you, isn't it?" 

Alec sat down beside Jondy. "Is it really worth it?" He watched her forehead crease with a puzzled frown. "Getting involved with normal people. Is it really worth the complications?" 

"No relationship is without complications, Alec." Jondy knew Alec had been hurt by Asha lying to him. She also knew about Rachel. Max had filled in a few things about Alec. "Anything worth having, the journey is always difficult getting it. I guess that's what makes it worthwhile." 

Alec thought about what Jondy had said for a moment. "Have you ever loved anyone the way you loved Devon?" He knew Jondy would give him an honest answer. 

"No." Jondy shook her head slightly. "You love who you love Alec. I don't think anyone ever chooses who they love, they just do." 

"I guess that explains a lot." Alec murmured deep in thought. He jolted back to the present when Jondy took hold of his hand, a look of concern on her face. "I mean Max and Logan are so different. I don't know what the attraction is there." 

Jondy smiled. "They're not so different. They both have a stubborn streak. Besides, haven't you heard? Opposites attract." 

Logan rustled up some lunch for he and Max, trying frantically not to notice how sexy Max looked in his sweater that she had thrown on over a pair of sweat pants. It got harder not to be distracted when Max moved up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Did I tell you? Zane's going to stay with Alec." 

"No." Max kissed his shoulder through the fabric of his shirt. "Jondy mentioned it when I phoned her. She said Zane and Alec are driving her nuts with all the fussing they're doing over her." 

Logan chuckled as he put the plates on the table. "You should have seen Alec's face when I got to the mansion this morning. Jondy had completely submerged herself in the bath and Alec thought she had gone for a walk outside. He was completely panicked." He sat down at the table after gently untangling himself from Max. 

Max was getting frustrated as hell with Logan's side stepping techniques. "Yeah, well Jondy's a private person at the best of times. She probably just wanted some time alone." She sat down on Logan's lap. "I'm not made of glass, Logan. I'm not going to break if you touch me." She started to nibble her way along Logan's collar bone. She couldn't help the smile spreading across her face as she felt Logan's defenses come crashing down and his arms go around her. 

British Eddie looked through the gates at the Cale Mansion. He couldn't believe his luck when he caught sight of Alec walking around the grounds with Jondy on his arm. He had just been trying to work out how to rob the place, but now he realized he'd hit the jackpot. 

Jondy stopped in her tracks. "Alec. Who's watching us?" She could feel somebody's eyes on her. 

Alec looked around him. Zane and Original Cindy were walking ahead of them, but they turned to face in Alec and Jondy's direction. As he turned to face the gate, Alec saw someone duck out of sight. "Zane, somebody's casing the joint." He kept his voice at a normal level knowing that Zane would hear him. 

Zane gestured for Original Cindy to wait with Jondy and then raced with Alec towards the wall. Never breaking his stride he leapt straight over the wall. The street was clear, but in the distance he could see someone watching them. "Alec. Is that someone you know?" 

Alec adjusted his vision to see who Zane was looking at. "British Eddie. Just as well you guys are moving out tonight." 

"I gather he's connected to White somehow." Zane walked back through the gates beside Alec. 

Alec nodded. "White was offering top dollar for Max and Jondy. At least he was before Logan shot him." 

Zane rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't why, but I get this eerie feeling that we haven't seen the last of White." 

Alec looked at Zane as though he had gone mad. "You saw Logan shoot him. His aim was spot on." 

Zane shrugged his shoulders. "I know. But doesn't it strike you as strange, at how easy that was." He left Alec standing by the gate considering what he had just said. 

"What's up Boo?" Original Cindy had gotten used to reading Max's well disguised facial expressions. Now she could see the concern on Zane's face even though he hid it well. "There ain't black helicopter boys hiding out there, is there?" 

Zane shook his head. "Someone called British Eddie was casing the joint. Alec seems relieved that we're all moving out tonight." 

"That moron never learns." Jondy muttered. "He's a steelhead. Did he have any of his freaky buddies with him?" 

"Not that I saw." Zane looked at Original Cindy who just shrugged. "You've been up against this guy before Sis?" 

"He made an appearance just seconds before my water broke when I was pregnant." Jondy started to rub her aching temples. "I nearly ripped his girlfriend's spine out. Not one of my best days. Although I was rewarded with the twins." 

Original Cindy remembered that Sketchy had, had a run in with the Steelheads about a year before. "I don't think these Steelhead idiots will be much of an effort for you guys to tackle. I get the impression they're not too smart." 

"They're not too bright." Alec agreed as he walked up to the threesome. "But Jondy is at a slight disadvantage at the moment, when it comes to fighting." 

Zane had a feeling that his sister would manage just fine if she got into trouble. It was part of her nature to adapt quickly to whatever life threw at her. "Come on. We'd better get ready to move out. We still have to get Krit and Syl out of that room." 

Original Cindy looked up at one of the windows on the top floor of the mansion. "So Krit reckons he keeps Syl busy by making her do push ups, sit ups and playing cards while she's in heat." 

Jondy gave an unladylike snort. "Yeah right. I may not be able to see at the moment, but my hearing is working just fine. If they're playing cards, it's strip poker. As for push ups and sit ups; I'm not even going to go there." 

Zane put his arm around his sister's shoulders and chuckled. "How long have you known about those two?" Apart from Max and Jondy, none of the X5 siblings were really blood related. Yet Zane still couldn't bring himself to look at the X5 women as anything but sisters. 

Jondy shrugged. "I sort of suspected there was something between the two of them, when we were helping Max get back on her feet in San Francisco." 

Alec wanted to get his family out of there as quickly as possible. "Well, lets start packing. The sooner we're out of here, the better." 

Original Cindy reached out and stopped Alec from racing inside. "You'd better all hide out at my crib for a few hours. Don't want to walk in on Max and Logan banging the gong on the coffee table." 

"Good point." Zane led Jondy inside. "Let's go toss Krit and Syl in a cold shower." 

Otto watched the monitor beside the hospital bed, rhythmically beeping. He loyally waited for Ames White to respond to the news the British Steelhead had told him. By all rights, Ames should have been dead. It had been a miracle that the Familiars had gotten him to the hospital in time. 

"You're sure you saw the redhead?" White didn't trust the Steelhead as far as he could throw him. "Where is she?" 

British Eddie grinned. "Now, if I tell you that, what do you need me for? I'll take half of the money up front and the other half when I deliver the redhead." 

"What about X5 452?" Otto enquired. "Any sightings of her?" 

White managed a grim smile. "Where X5 210 is, X5 452 will be close by." His arm snaked out and caught British Eddie by the collar. "The redhead is not to be harmed, understand. I don't care what you do to the other one." 

"Understood." British Eddie took a step back from the bed. "Loud and clear." He waited patiently by the door. 

"You'll get half of the money at 6pm tonight." White started. "Otto will bring it to you. You have one week to bring the two X5 women in. That's seven days. If you don't fulfill your side of this bargain, I will be sending someone to get my money back. It won't be pretty." 

"I'll deliver." British Eddie gave White a mock salute. "It's a pleasure doing business with you." He calmly strutted out of the room, full of confidence. By next week, he was going to be a rich man. 

White glared at Otto. "Make sure that creature never graces me with his presence, ever again. I don't care if he delivers X5 210 and 452 or not, make it look like an accident when his body is found." He leaned back against his pillows. "And don't get blood on my money." 

Logan looked up from the vegetables he was chopping. "I found Sam Carr. He's been laying low ever since your clone put the smack down on his ass." 

"Is he alright?" Max was sitting on the bench across from Logan as usual. It was bad enough her clone had almost turned her over to White and Logan had taken a hit from her as well. 

"Yeah. She put the fear of God into him though." Logan understood his friend's fear. It had been quite a shock to his system seeing two Max's. "He's hoping we'll understand that he's going to stay clear of us for a while. I told him we would." 

Max nodded. "That's fair enough. I'm just sorry she even had a reason to go near him. We'd better be more careful when Jondy and I go to see Beverly for our check ups. Don't want anyone to get suspicious of her as well." 

"I was thinking that maybe Beverly could come here." Logan tossed the vegetables into a casserole dish. "You know, stay well clear of the hospital." He was more concerned about Max and Jondy's safety than anything else. 

"Sounds good to me." Max hated hospitals. If she could find a way to avoid them, she would. "Wish we knew for certain that Jondy was going to get her eyesight back." 

"Zane told me that Julia and the girls don't know that Jondy's blind." Logan switched the oven on and put the casserole dish inside. "She doesn't want to worry them." 

Max knew her sister's reasons for not telling her mother in law or children about her injuries. "Once Jondy is sure that it's safe for her family to go back to San Francisco, then she'll let them know what happened. They can't do anything from Canada. Jondy doesn't want to be treated differently because of a handicap. Especially seeing as her blindness may not be permanent." She looked Logan straight in the eye. "You of all people should understand that." 

Logan took hold of Max's hand and led her to the sofa. "I do understand. But if I remember correctly," he pulled Max into his lap as he sat down. "I didn't want to be treated differently because I was in a wheelchair, but I didn't think I was good enough for you because I was stuck in a wheelchair." 

Max rolled her eyes. "I kept telling you the wheelchair didn't make any difference to me." She touched her forehead to his. "Actually, I always found it a big turn on when you did that wheeling from side to side thing with the chair." 

Logan chuckled. "Yeah, well I hated being in the chair so I expected everybody to feel the way I did." 

"Do you two want us to come back later?" Krit's voice came from behind them. "Hope you've got enough food Logan. I'm starving." 

Logan nodded. He had expected Krit, Syl, Alec and Original Cindy to turn up with Zane and Jondy for dinner. "Help yourself to drinks. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour. Should give me enough time to finish unpacking my car." 

"We'll give you a hand." Zane made sure Jondy was seated comfortably on the sofa before following Krit, Alec and Logan out the door." 

Original Cindy walked into the kitchen to get something to drink, followed by Max. "Hope we didn't arrive to early, Sugar." 

"No, we were expecting you." Max got the glasses out of the cupboard. "Did you guys all come straight from the mansion?" 

Original Cindy shook her head. "No. Alec and Zane spotted one of those Steelheads watching the mansion, so they packed everyone up and headed over to my crib. I tell ya Boo, it was an interesting few hours trying to keep Syl from climbing all over Krit." 

"I bet." Max turned around to find Jondy curled up on the sofa asleep with her head on Syl's knee. "How long's Jondy been like that?" 

Original Cindy glanced over her shoulder to see what Max was talking about. "Off and on for the past few hours. She doesn't complain but I get the feeling she's in a lot of pain." 

Max had been getting the same vibe all day. "Logan suggested getting Beverly to come here instead of us going to the hospital. I'll see if he can get her over here tonight." 

The four men walked back into the apartment, their arms full. Logan saw the worried expression on Max's face, then caught sight of Jondy asleep on the sofa. "Just put this stuff in the back room. I'll sort it out later." He put the painting that he was carrying down and picked up his phone. 

Syl watched Krit walk into the back room. "Stop it." She heard Jondy speak even though her sister made no move to open her eyes or more. "Stop what?" 

"Syl, I can practically hear you purring every time Krit's within sight." Jondy muttered. 

"Sorry." Syl mumbled. "You know I can't help it at the moment." She helped Jondy sit up. "The headaches are still pretty bad, aren't they?" 

Jondy winced as she nodded. "I'll probably be fine in a couple of days. I guess that training exercise they made us do at Manticore, where they blindfolded us is coming in handy now. Remind me to thank Lydecker for that when hell freezes over." 

Logan put his phone down. "Beverly is going to come over after dinner. You know, to make sure I didn't do any damage to Max's shoulder this afternoon. So I asked if she could check you over as well Jondy." He knew Jondy didn't want to make a fuss, so he tried not to be obvious that he had called Beverly for her sake not Max's. 

"Well, we'd better get some dinner then." Alec held his hand out to Jondy and waited. A moment later she sensed what he was doing and took hold of his hand. "Let's eat." He guided her to the dinner table as the timer went off on the oven. 

"Great timing." Krit chimed in as he caught hold of Syl's roving hands. "I haven't eaten all day." 

"Girl, you better keep your hands on the table where we can see them." Original Cindy warned Syl. "I'd like to keep my dinner down." 

Zane chuckled at his blond sister's antics. "Are you sure you're going to be alright stuck with those two tonight Cindy?" 

Original Cindy nodded. "Don't worry Boo. I picked up some ear plugs on the way over. I'm just grateful I don't have enhanced hearing like you guys." 

Syl nodded towards Jondy, trying to ignore the fact that Krit was sitting next to her. "Jondy's got it worse. Because she can't see at the moment, it's made all of her other senses stronger." 

Max squeezed Jondy's hand. "Just as well you're staying with Logan and me." She went to help Logan carry the food to the table. "Thanks for calling Beverly." She stole a quick kiss as she past Logan to get to the table. 

Zane watched Jondy out of the corner of his eye. He had learnt quickly that Jondy didn't like being treated like a child because she couldn't see. If she wanted help, she would ask for it. He shook his head as Alec moved to help her get the food on her fork. "Let her be, Alec." 

Alec hated to see Jondy struggle, but Zane knew his sister better than he did. He turned to Max. "So Normal's bitching loud and clear about your frequent absences again. Couldn't exactly tell him you'd been shot. Again." 

"Normal will get over it. He always does." Max shrugged her good shoulder. "If the worst comes to the worst, I'll just flash my newest scar at him." 

Original Cindy chuckled. "He's still getting over the last time you flashed him. I told him you got attacked leaving the Crash. He's under the impression you're accident prone." 

"He's not too far wrong." Max rolled her eyes. "So much for my dodging bullets skills." 

Logan watched Jondy feeling around the table for her drink. "It's at two o'clock Jondy." He continued eating his own dinner once Jondy found her drink. 

Zane stroked his sister's head gently. "You're more quiet than usual J. The headache's still pretty bad?" 

Jondy reached up and took hold of Zane's hand. "Yeah. I think I'll go and lie down." She squeezed his hand as she pushed her chair back and stood. "Dinner was delicious Logan, thanks." 

"No problem." Logan gave his apartment a quick glance. "There's a painting leaning against the wall just beside the bedroom door. If you take a couple of steps to your right, you should be fine." 

"Got it." Jondy could picture the layout of Logan's apartment in her head despite the throbbing ache. Moving slowly she maneuvered her way to the guestroom, stumbling slightly when she got near the sofa. "That coffee table's longer than the last one." She muttered to herself. 

"So how bad is that headache of hers really, Max?" Krit caught hold of Syl's roaming hand and placed it back on the table. 

Max glanced over at the now closed bedroom door. "Let's just say I'm glad that Beverly's coming over later." 

Syl focused on the conversation going on instead of wanting to jump Krit. "At least Jondy knows how to get around without her sight. She was always the best at finding her opponent when blindfolded at Manticore." 

"So what was the purpose behind that exercise?" Original Cindy asked. "You guys can see in the dark." She gestured to Max. "Sister Girl here even rides her motorbike at night with shades on." 

"Yeah, but it was Lydecker putting us through the drills." Zane reminded her. "He wanted to make sure that we could defeat the enemy no matter what the odds were." 

"He's sadistic that way." Max quipped. 

British Eddie and his team sat in the bushes outside the mansion gates. Bird let out a long sigh. "Maybe they all went out to dinner with friends. Maybe they drank too much and decided to stay the night instead of driving. Maybe ......" 

"Maybe, you should shut your hole." Eddie snapped. "They won't be back tonight. One of the Manticoreans must have seen me. We'll take shifts watching for them to come back." 

"What if they don't come back?" Tuck couldn't see anything that hinted someone was living there. "You said we had seven days to catch those two women. Have you got a plan other than us sitting here in the bushes watching that big house." 

Lux glared at the mansion. "Yeah, well I owe that bitch for almost ripping my spine out.' She moved her gaze to Eddie. "I want payback." 

"Sorry love." Eddie squeezed Lux's hand. "White insists that he gets Red in mint condition. Of course what happens to her after White's paid us, we can't be held accountable for." 

Lux gave him a satisfied smile. "I can wait until we have the money. Just this once we're gonna have our cake and eat it too." 

Beverly Shankar walked out of the guest bedroom to find seven anxious faces staring at her. "It's still too early to tell if Jessica will get her eye sight back, but she is definitely healing faster than anyone I have ever seen with her type of injury. Due to the accelerating healing, she's experiencing a lot of pain behind her eyes." 

"Any idea how long we'll have to wait until we know for sure about Jessica's vision?" Zane cursed himself for thinking more about Beverly Shankar's marital status than his sister's health. But in his defense, the Doctor was one fine looking woman. 

Beverly shrugged her shoulders. "Could be a few days, but I can't be sure. I'm sorry. I wish I could be of more help. I've given Jessica some pain killers. She'll probably sleep through the night." 

"That'll be a first." Krit quipped. He couldn't get over how sappy his brother was acting around the doctor. But then he couldn't wait to get Syl back to Original Cindy's place so that they could be alone. More or less. 

Logan handed Beverly a cup of coffee. "Thanks for coming over at such short notice Beverly. We didn't want to chance setting foot in the hospital at the moment." 

"No problem." Beverly took a seat on the sofa. "I'm happy to help. Now about Max's shoulder." She gave Max a sly wink. "Have you done any strenuous activities in the last few hours." She burst out laughing at the panicked look on Logan's face. "Relax Logan, I'm joking. Max is fine and healing quickly. Jessica asked me to tease you about it. She thinks you're too uptight." 

"He wasn't a few hours ago." Max muttered as she started clearing the dishes off of the dinner table. She nudged Logan as she walked past him. "I told you I was fine. You worry too much." 

Logan chuckled good naturedly. "At least I keep your family amused. May I remind you all that I wasn't the one racing around the mansion in a panic this morning looking for my sister who was soaking in the bath." 

Zane grinned sheepishly. "How were Alec and I to know she was under all of those bubbles. I gotta tell you Logan, it's a little disturbing that you know more about my sisters than I do." 

Logan slapped Zane on the back. "It's more disturbing that you all know so much about Max and mine's sex life." 

"Hey, we wouldn't know so much," Krit jokingly jumped to the X5's defense. "If we hadn't had to spend six hours sitting outside your apartment door waiting to speak to Max." 

Syl giggled. "I don't know what was worse, the banging and crashing not to mention the screams of ecstasy coming from inside this apartment. Or trying to keep a straight face while J explained what all of the noise was about to her children." 

Alec chuckled. "I think Joshua wanting to go inside to join in the religious wrestling was the worst part." 

Original Cindy shook her head as she laughed at the group. "That's not as bad as how long it took to get those two to admit they had feelings for each other. Bling and I thought we were going to have to hit them both over the head. Always saying 'We're not like that." 

Max snuggled back against Logan's chest as he put his arms around her. "Well, we weren't at the time." 

Beverly smiled as she sat amongst the group. The transgenics were so different from the humans. But they had the same problems when it came to their love lives. "Well, I've gotta get going. Thanks for the coffee Logan." 

"I'll walk you out." Zane offered. "It's time Alec and I got going anyway." He didn't want to appear too eager around the Doctor. 

"We'll see you tomorrow." Max hugged Zane and after a moments hesitation hugged Alec as well. She watched her brothers follow Beverly out the door. She leaned back and looked up at Logan who still had his arms around her. "I think Zane has the hots for the good doctor." 

Logan kissed the top of Max's head. "Lucky Beverly. I hear once you've had transgenic you never want to go back." 

"On that note." Original Cindy nodded to Krit and Syl. "I think it's time we blazed as well. We won't disturb Jondy. She could probably do with the sleep." She hugged Max and slapped Logan on the back before leaving. 

"Alone at last." Logan nibbled on Max's ear, causing her to giggle. "Why don't you check on your sister while I do the dishes, then we'll turn in for the night." 

Max was pleasantly surprised. "Don't you have some 'Eyes Only' work to do?" Not that she was complaining about the attention she was now getting from Logan. 

"It can wait." Logan was less worried about hurting Max, now that Beverly had given her a check up. "You're more important." When he got into the kitchen, he saw that someone had already loaded the dishwasher and started the machine. As he walked towards the bedroom, Max came out of the guestroom. "Is she alright?" 

Max nodded. "She's sound asleep. Those painkillers that Beverly gave her, really knocked her out. So are the renovations really starting tomorrow? How'd ya get a crew to work on Sunday?" 

Logan shrugged his shoulders as he removed his glasses and put them on the night stand. "They needed the money. I figure the quicker we get stared, the sooner the recreation center will be open and I can spend more time with my sexy girlfriend." 

Max beamed. "I'll have no complaints about that." She crawled across the bed to Logan. "Need any help with the renovations? I'm pretty good with a sledge hammer." She yanked his shirt off over his head. "And I'm sure my brothers will help out. Hell, it'll give Syl a way to burn off some excess energy." She let the shirt drop to the floor. 

Logan leaned down and kissed her. "Don't want to tip anyone off about your super powers. I'll keep your offer in mind though." His hands drifted up her hips to the hem of Max's shirt. "You don't really want to talk about renovations right now, do you?" 

Max pulled Logan down onto the bed. "I don't want to talk at all." 

Bird yawned with boredom. "So what are you going to do with your share of the money, Tuck?" He flexed his mechanical arm. 

Tuck shrugged. "Don't know yet. Maybe get myself a bike, you know like a Ninja or something. What about you?" 

"A car. You know, one with a revved up motor." Bird grinned. "Then maybe I'll learn to drive as well. How much money are we looking at, anyway?" 

"A lot." Tuck looked over at the dark mansion. "What do you think White wants with two Manticore women? I know they're hot looking and all, but why two?" 

"Maybe he's just greedy." Bird sighed. "They're not coming back here tonight." He frowned. "How come we always manage to draw the short straws and get the night shifts." 

Tuck shrugged again. "I guess we're just unlucky, that's all." 

Zane and Alec watched the two Steelheads from up a tree. Zane rolled his eyes. "If either of these two had a brain cell, it would still be lonely." 

"We're not going to just leave them watching the mansion. Sure we can keep Max and Jondy away from here," Alec pointed out. "But Logan still has to be able to get in and out of there." 

Zane grinned as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "How about we get the police to earn their salary." He dialed 911 and waited for an answer. "Hey there. I live next door to the Cale Mansion and there are these two weird looking guys sitting in the bushes outside the place. Oh my God, they're flashers. That poor woman." 

Alec chuckled at the mock panic in Zane's voice. "Tell them your wife saw them hanging around the place yesterday trying to get in." 

Zane nodded. "What's that honey? Oh and officer, my wife says she saw them trying to break into the mansion yesterday." He listened to the voice on the other end. "Thank you Officer." He hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. "They're on their way." 

"Flashers?" Alec was impressed. "I would never have thought of that one. So the Cops can arrest them for indecent exposure and suspicious behavior." 

"How about we stick around to make sure the police don't have any trouble arresting these guys and then go get a beer?" Zane shifted to make himself more comfortable. 

"Sounds good to me." Alec moved onto a sturdier branch. "Did it really bother you this morning that Logan seemed to know more about your sisters than you did?" 

Zane shook his head. "No. It surprised me at first. But then I realized, it was to be expected. I mean, Logan lives with one sister and another visits on a semi regular basis. He sees more of them than I do." 

"I guess." Alec could see Zane's point. Although he would never admit it, Alec did admire the way Logan stood up for what he believed in. 

The next morning Original Cindy slumped down on the sofa in Logan's apartment. "I'm telling you, Girl. I almost didn't get the door open in time." 

Max giggled. "I thought you'd be used to that sort of behavior by now. You saw me through being in heat a couple of times." 

"You never tried to use the door in my presence like Krit and Syl did." Original Cindy pointed out. "How much longer is Syl going to be like this?" 

"Today should be the last day." Jondy walked out of the guestroom. "Logan have you got any tea made?" 

"How'd you know I was still here." Logan put a mug full of tea on the table as Jondy eased herself into a chair. 

"Everyone has a unique scent." Jondy felt out the cup. "As weird as it sounds, I can smell you." 

"We didn't wake you did we Sugar?" Original Cindy was worried she had been too loud. 

"No." Jondy brushed her hair out of her face with the back of her hand. "Zane did. He and Alec went to check on the mansion last night and found two Steelheads watching the place." 

"Where are the Steelheads now?" Max frowned. She had figured British Eddie wouldn't be stupid enough to try and take on any X5's after last time. She guessed she had been wrong. 

"In police custody." Jondy smiled mischievously. "Zane called the police and reported two weird flashers were trying to break in." 

Original Cindy rolled her eyes. "That brother of yours has the strangest sense of humor." 

"I'll call Matt Sung and see how long he can keep the Steelheads locked up." Logan didn't want to chance taking the X5s into the mansion if the Steelheads were still looking to collect the bounty on Max and Jondy. 

Max glanced at her sister. "How's the headache this morning?" She noticed that Jondy had a bit more color in her face today. 

"It's not too bad." Jondy admitted. "My eyes sting a bit, but I haven't got the thumping headache that I had yesterday." 

Logan came back from making his phone call. "Matt says he'll try and hold onto the Steelheads for us as long as he possibly can. You feel up to eating some breakfast Jondy?" He was worried that Jondy wasn't eating enough. She had barely touched dinner last night and she was already thin. 

"Sounds good." Jondy figured the others had already eaten breakfast as she could smell the aroma of bacon, eggs and toast having been cooked recently. 

It was eleven o'clock before Logan actually made it to the mansion to let the building crew know what needed to be done. He kept an eye out for any uninvited guests, but as he didn't have the enhanced eyesight that the X5's did, he couldn't be sure that no one was watching the place. 

Ames White was obviously feeling much better as he was barking out orders left, right and center. Some of the nurses were jokingly threatening to pull the plug on some of the machines he was connected to, because of his rudeness. 

"Sir, I just received word that two of British Eddie's men are sitting in a holding cell at the police station." Otto reported. "Should I post bail?" 

"No." White snapped. "Leave them there. Nobody will believe them if they talk, so there's no reason to waste more money on those freaks. Besides, if Eddie is as good as he claims to be, being two men down isn't going to make any difference." He glared at Otto. "Now who do I have to kill to get out of here?" 

Beverly Shankar stared at the name on the file she had been handed. "What happened to his regular Doctor?" 

The nurse raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "He didn't want to treat that asshole any longer. He was concerned he might accidentally on purpose give him something he's allergic to." 

Beverly smiled at the nurse. "He can't be that bad, Clare." 

"I'd pull the plug." Clare mentioned as she turned and walked away. 

Beverly walked into her office and quickly dialed Logan's cell. "Hi, it's Beverly. Guess who I just got as a patient." 

The living room in Logan's apartment was so silent, you could have heard a pin drop. Finally Krit spoke up. "So Beverly's sure it's the same Ames White?" 

Logan nodded. "I went over to the hospital myself to make sure. Beverly said the last Doctor took himself off White's case before he accidentally killed him for being an asshole. Most of the nurses don't want to go near him either." 

"Yep. That's our Ames White." Max let the breath out she was holding. "Now what do we do?" 

"We carry on with our lives." Zane suggested. "I seriously doubt White expects us to return to our homes. He's probably had people watching to see if we would return ever since we blew his compound up." 

Syl shook her head. "No, he never found out where any of us actually lived. He knew where a couple of us worked and which states we were in, but not where we lived." 

"Syl's right." Jondy agreed. "At the worst we may have to get different jobs. I have a feeling British Eddie still has White pulling his strings. If I'm right ....." 

"Then White thinks you are all in Seattle and living at the mansion." Logan finished for her. "He was certainly up to yelling orders when I saw him. Beverly said White's trying to get himself released from the hospital." 

"If I didn't think that man was nuts before," Original Cindy shook her head in disbelief. "I sure as hell do now." 

"We'll give it till the end of the week before we bring Joshua and the others back into Seattle." Max suggested. "Then we can start checking the different states to make sure it's alright for you guys to go home." It had been kind of nice to have her family mostly all in one place. 

"Sounds like a plan." Alec was just getting used to having a big family around him. He would be sorry to see them go home. "Hey Logan, got anything to eat?" 

Lux sat impatiently in Eddie's car watching the going on's at the mansion. "Think we can get in as a member of the building crew?" They only had two days to White's deadline left. Bird and Tuck were still in jail, which wasn't a problem. As Eddie had pointed out it just meant they only had to split the money two ways instead of four. 

"It's a possibility." British Eddie nodded. "Looky what we have here." He saw Logan's car pull up to the front of the mansion. Eddie's jaw dropped as he watched Logan get out of the car and help Jondy out of her side. Jondy felt her way along the side of the Aztec while Logan set the car alarm. Then she took Logan's arm and let him lead her inside. "This is going to be easier than I thought. The redhead's blind." 

Lux looked worried. "I thought White said she had to be in mint condition. How are you going to explain her being blind?" 

British Eddie shrugged her question off. "I'll just tell him we found her that way. It's not as though she's going to blame us. Hell, she can't even see us." 

Lux wasn't convinced. "What about the other one, the brunette? I don't see her anywhere." 

"White seems to think if we get hold of one, then the other won't be too far behind." British Eddie grinned. "Don't worry, Love. We're going to be rich." 

Jondy could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up. "The mansion's still being watched, Logan." 

Logan carefully guided Jondy around the tools and planks of wood lying every where. "I'll make sure we're not followed home Jondy." He hadn't wanted to leave Jondy alone in the apartment, but he was hesitant about bringing her with him. Max, Alec and Original Cindy were all at work. Krit, Syl and Zane were waiting at the sector checkpoints to help get Joshua and Jondy's family back into Seattle. "How did Julia and Rebecka react when you told them about your eyesight?" 

Jondy made a mental note of the path Logan was leading her on. "Rebecka promptly burst into tears. Julia, on the other hand knows how quickly I heal. She seemed pretty confident I'd have my eyesight back in no time." 

"Do you think Rebecka will ever get used to the uniqueness that is you and Max?" Logan, himself still worried about every scratch and scrape that Max ended up with. 

"I don't know." Jondy admitted. "I wonder if it was such a good idea letting her know Max and I were her daughters. We can't be worried about her bursting into tears every time we get hurt." 

"Yeah, well mothers worry about their kids." Logan reminded her. "I've seen how concerned you get with your kids. Don't tell me it's different because you and Max are genetically enhanced, either." 

"Fine." Jondy replied snottily. "You know I hate it when you're right." 

Logan chuckled. "Yeah, so does Max." 

"Hey Logan!" One of the builders yelled out. "Is this the Max who you keep talking endlessly about?" 

Logan was relieved Jondy couldn't see how red his face was getting. "No. This is her sister Jessica." He saw Jondy had the attention of all of the builders. 

"God, are all the women in your family as hot looking as you, honey?" The builder cast Jondy an admiring glance. "And if they are, are any of them single?" 

Jondy laughed. "They're all better looking and spoken for. Sorry. Better luck next time." 

Logan smirked at the builders. "No checking out my girlfriend when she gets here, either." 

Beverly Shankar shot White a frustrated look. "I realize you have healed remarkably fast Mr White. However, I can't in good conscious sign your release form until I am satisfied that you have fully recovered." 

"Then I'll sign myself out." White snarled. "Think of it this way Doc, you'll have a bed freed up for someone who's really ill." 

"That's entirely up to you." Beverly tried not to smile at the applause coming from the nurse's station outside the room. "I've told you my opinion, if you choose to ignore it, I can't stop you." She turned and walked out of the room. She was as relieved as the rest of the staff to be getting rid of Ames White. She quickly decided to give Logan a call to warn him about White releasing himself. 

Logan settled Jondy in a corner of the foyer where she wasn't in danger, before answering his ringing cell phone. "Hello. Beverly? Hold on I can barely hear you. I'll just go outside where there's less noise." He nodded to one of the builders. "Graham! No hitting on my sister-in-law while I take this call." 

"I won't promise anything." Graham yelled back. 

Eddie nudged Lux. "Here's our chance to get Red." He pointed to where Logan was standing outside talking on his cell phone as a truck turned up with more timber. 

Eddie and Lux climbed out of the car and walked through the gate as the truck drove in. Running up the steps they made their way into the foyer. Eddie picked up a nail gun as he made his way towards Jondy. "Hello Darling. Somebody wants to see you and we've come to do the pick up." 

Jondy stood with her arms crossed in front of her. "If you're talking about Ames White, I'd rather shoot myself with the nail gun you picked up." 

Lux snickered. "I don't have a problem with that." She stopped suddenly as she realized what Jondy had said. "How did you know Eddie had a nail gun? You're blind." 

"I may be blind." Jondy gave Lux an evil smile. "But I'm not stupid." She could hear Graham and his men edging forward. "Graham, keep your men back." She didn't want them moving where she couldn't hear them. "By the way Lux, how's your spine?" 

Eddie fired the nail gun at Jondy, but she heard the nails coming and quickly moved out of the way. There were two of them and only one of her. It shouldn't be this hard to catch her. He signaled to Lux to move in the opposite direction to him. They would circle her and catch her by surprise. 

"Logan!" Max called out as she walked through the gate. "You didn't leave my sister with a bunch of builders did ya?" 

Logan put his cell phone back in his pocket as he kissed Max hello. "Yeah. I'm sure she can handle them." He took hold of her hand as they walked inside. "Beverly just called. White's released himself from the hospital." 

"We've got bigger problems at the moment." Max had just spotted the two steelheads. "Can you get your guys out the back. Don't want them to witness the genetically engineered females fighting a couple of Steelheads." 

"No problem." Logan walked back out of the mansion and around the side of the house. He knew one of the windows had been left open. He climbed in and silently started to usher the men out. 

Graham shook his head. "You can't honestly want to leave her alone with those freaks." 

Logan noticed that Max had taken a fighting stance. "She's not alone. Go and call the police. Ask for Matt Sung. I'll stay here." 

Graham hesitated a moment longer and then followed his men out of the window. Unclipping his cell phone from his belt, he quickly dialed 911. 

Lux and Eddie circled Jondy, unaware she was listening to their every move. She knew exactly where they were. When Lux leapt at her, she easily back handed her across the face. The blow sent the female steelhead flying across the room to land at Max's feet. 

Max yanked Lux to her feet and wrenched her arm behind her back. "You just never learn do you." 

Eddie wrapped his arm around Jondy's neck and aimed the nail gun at Max. "Let her go and I might consider not killing Red here." 

"She's no good to you dead." Max retorted. "White wants her alive and unharmed. You kill her, you might as well kill yourself. You'll end up dead either way." 

"He doesn't care if he gets you dead or alive." Eddie hissed at Max and fired the nail gun. But Max moved quickly behind Lux and the nails embedded themselves in the Steelhead's chest. 

Moving just as quickly as her sister, Jondy reached behind her and placed one hand on either side of Eddie's head. "Kiss my genetically engineered ass." Instead of her English accent she always used, Jondy's comment came out in a strong American accent. With a quick twist she broke Eddie's neck and let him drop to the ground. "Freak." 

"Logan!" Max stepped over Lux's body where it now lay on the ground. She was worried that the flying nails may have hit him. "Logan, are you alright?" 

"I'm fine." Logan slowly walked towards Jondy. She had the strangest look on her face. "Jondy. Are you alright?" He didn't want to startle her incase she attacked him. 

Jondy blinked her eyes. Instead of the blackness that she had started to get used to seeing, she was seeing blurred colors. The effect was actually making her dizzy. 

Max saw her sister wobble a bit. "J. What's wrong?" She reached out for her sister's hand. "Are the headaches back?" She was picking the strangest vibe up off of her sister. 

"Everything's blurry." Jondy's English accent was back. "God, my timing sucks." She blacked out as Matt Sung walked in the front door. 

Matt Sung stood staring at the scene before him. There were two Steelheads laying dead on the floor. Max was checking the pulse on her sister who was unconscious in Logan's arms. "What did I miss?" 

Logan started to walk outside. "We've got to get Jessica some air. I'll explain everything outside." 

Max caught sight of the news van pulling up to the gate. "Matt. Any chance we can get rid of the reporters? My sister and I really don't want to appear on the six o'clock news." 

Matt nodded and went to speak to his men. The building crew had gathered around Max, Logan and Jondy, so it was near impossible for the reporters to get a photo. 

"Any ideas on how I'm going to get the two of you past that news team?" Logan saw Jondy's eyes flickering open. "Hey, look who's back with us." 

Jondy's sight was still blurry. "Why am I lying on concrete." She felt around the ground. "Correction. Why am I lying on marble?" 

"You blacked out inside." Max slid her sunglasses onto Jondy's face. "You alright to stand up?" 

"I'll give it a go." Jondy reached up so that Logan and Max could help her stand up. "I'm still a little dizzy." 

Matt walked up to the group. "Who can tell me what happened in there?" He noticed how shaky Jondy was on her feet. "I'll take your statements as quickly as possible so that you can get Jessica home." 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "There's not much to say Matt. Two Steelheads broke into the mansion somehow. They attacked my sister with a nail gun and missed. One shot the other with the nail gun. The other slipped on the marble floor in the foyer and broke his neck. At least I think that's what that cracking sound was." 

Matt looked at Jondy. "Is that what happened Jess?" 

"I don't know." Jondy, as usual was the picture of innocence. "I'm blind. All I know is that I heard the nail gun go off a few times." 

"Matt, there are plenty of witness' that saw British Eddie threaten Jessica with the nail gun." Logan pointed out. 

"Works for me." Matt had a feeling there was more to this story than anyone was telling him. There was nothing to prove Max was lying either. "Better take Jessica out the back way. I'll get the mess inside cleaned up." 

"Thanks Matt." Logan scooped Jondy back up into his arms and turned to the builders. "Might as well call it a day, guys. I'll see you bright and early in the morning." He turned back to Matt. "I'll be back later to lock up. I want to get the ladies home and a Doctor to check Jessica out." 

"If I have anymore questions, I'll catch up with you when you come back." Matt went to sort out the news team and arrange the coroners office to pick up the bodies. 

"Sir, I have good news and bad news." Otto cautiously approached White. "The good news is that you don't have to pay British Eddie. He and his girlfriend are dead." 

"What's the bad news." White could pretty much guess that the Steelheads had failed to capture the two X5 women. The bad news had to be something Otto thought he couldn't guess. 

"It's X5 210." Otto didn't know what White's fascination with the redhead was, but he was sure that he wouldn't be happy with what Otto had found out. "She's blind Sir. Yet she still managed to take British Eddie out." 

"How the hell did that happen?" White ordered. 

"I don't have that information at this time Sir." Otto replied. 

"Well, find out." White yelled. He didn't know why X5 210 was fighting him so hard. After all, he was her best chance at staying alive. "Women." He muttered. 

"So will Mom be able to see again?" Belinda asked as she sat on the floor of Logan's apartment. 

"Yeah, but it might take a while for her to get her sight back fully." Max explained to her niece. "Don't fuss over her too much. She hates that. If Jondy needs help she'll ask for it." 

Rebecka didn't like the sound of that. "Jondy can't see at the moment. How is she going to find her way around every thing. Perhaps I should go back to San Francisco to help her out." 

"She won't let you, Rebecka." Julia had known Jondy for too long, not to realize that she wanted to remain independent. "The more you try to help her, the more she will resent you for it." 

"She's my daughter." Rebecka felt as though she was being pushed aside. 

"I'm not five years old." Jondy walked into the room carrying her baby daughter. Zane followed her carrying her son. "I don't need to be baby sat. You won't be coming with us when we go back to San Francisco, Rebecka." She didn't want to hurt her mother's feelings, but she knew that she would end up hating her if she let Rebecka return to San Francisco with them. 

"Grandma can still come and visit us though, can't see?" Leeza asked. 

"Of course she can." Jondy sat on the arm of the sofa. "Once we are all settled back in San Francisco, she is welcome to visit." 

Logan could see that the children were satisfied with Jondy's answer but Rebecka wasn't. "That should give you plenty of time to catch up with Max, Rebecka." He didn't want Max to be forgotten by her mother, just because her injuries weren't as serious as Jondy's. 

Rebecka smiled at Max. "I'll enjoy that." She was beginning to notice that Jondy didn't need her as much as Max did. Both women were very independent, but Max was openingly accepting Rebecka into her life. Where as Jondy's life was already crowded and Rebecka wondered if there would ever be room for her. 

Zane looked down at the tiny child in his arms. This is what they had all wanted when they had escaped from Manticore, to be a family. But even this had complications to it. "I'm heading to San Francisco tomorrow. If it's safe enough, you guys should be home by the end of the week, J." 

"You going back to work Jondy?" Krit wondered if that was such a good idea. "Or are you going to get a new job?" 

"I'm not sure yet." Jondy turned in the direction of her brother's voice. "It depends on how quickly my eyesight comes back. I know Nigel has my back, so I'm not too concerned." 

Syl was sitting on the floor with the children. "I guess we'll all be looking for new jobs. White got too close for comfort this time." 

"White's not finished yet." Joshua pointed out. The rage he felt over Annie's death was barely simmering below the surface. They all knew White had killed her. "He won't stop until he's dead." 

Alec nodded. "Or until he's destroyed all of us. Either way it's going to be a long hard fight." 

Max leaned back against Logan's chest and felt his arms automatically go round her. "I always enjoy a challenge." She smiled wickedly. "Just look at who my boyfriend is." 

"Yeah right Sugar." Original Cindy rolled her eyes. "That's what you find so appealing about Rich Boy." 

Laughter filled the apartment despite their concerns of what could happen in the near future. As long as they fought together, the possibilities of a bright future were endless. 

_The End_


	30. Opportunities, not Problems

**"Opportunities not Problems"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Julia, Kera, Rebecka and Jondy's children however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

Normal plans a romantic dinner for Max and Logan, but White hasn't finished trying to cause problems

**Timeframe:**

Art Attack, Freak Nation

**Rating:**

PG - some graphical violence

* * *

Sketchy slumped down into a seat beside Original Cindy. "I've been thinking, maybe I'm not meant to be anything better than a Jam Pony bike messenger." 

Original Cindy rolled her eyes. "Your first problem was when you started thinking. We are all meant for bigger and better things then this place. You just try and make the big bucks in the wrong business'." She nudged her friend. "Remember when Max and I had to win all that money to pay off those gangsters you were working for?" 

Sketchy grinned. "Yeah. It's just I thought working for the paper would get me noticed in a good way. Instead it's just even bigger news that I'm a failure." 

Herbal patted his friends shoulder. "You're not a failure man. You just haven't found the profession you are destined for. The all high has big plans for you." 

"Yeah? Well I wish he'd let me in on them." Sketchy went back to slumping in his eat. "Has anyone heard from Max?" 

Original Cindy nodded. "She called me last night. She and Logan are trying to work out how they can stay together. It's not going to be easy with Logan unable to stay inside Terminal City for long and our girl targeted every time she sets foot outside Terminal City." 

"I hear ya my sister." Herbal nodded in sympathy. "There has to be a way around it. What about that guy White? Is he still out there?" 

"Last I heard Joshua broke that freak's back." Original Cindy shrugged her shoulders. "I figure he'll be out of action for a little while at least." 

"Did I hear you talking about our Transgenic friends?" Nobody was more surprised about Normal's change of heart towards the Transgenics, than Normal himself. "How is my old buddy Alec?" 

"He's fine. Why you asking?" Original Cindy looked up at Normal from where she was sitting. 

"Just interested." Normal pulled up a chair. "Now how about we organize a romantic dinner for Max and Logan? We humans can stay in Terminal City or an hour or so, right?" 

"Yeah." Sketchy eyed Normal suspiciously. "But why would you go out of your way to help Max make a love connection?" This wasn't Normal's usual attitude towards his employees, former or present. 

Herbal grinned. "The man wants to visit Alec. He knows there's no way he's going to be allowed to just walk into Terminal City." 

Normal pretended to be offended by Herbal's comment. "What? I can't just do something nice for Max?" He took a step back when the threesome issued a joint "NO!" at him. "Fine. You want to do this for Max and Logan, or not?" 

Original Cindy rolled her eyes. "Let's hear your plan then we'll tell you if we're in or not." 

Normal shrugged his shoulders. "Fair enough. First we're going to have to get hold of Alec." He paused for a moment when everyone groaned. "Well we need someone to get us inside. Not to mention, we need someone other than Max to get Logan over to Terminal City." 

Original Cindy stopped Normal. "I gotta warn you Normal, my Boo don't like surprises." 

Sketchy chuckled. "Not even if they come in the shape of Logan? Even you have to admit O.C, Normal's idea is starting to sound promising." 

"Alright Normal." Original Cindy let her boss continue. "Let's hear the rest of this plan. Just don't blame me if Max drop kicks your sorry ass across the room." 

Alec slumped down beside Max who was feeling sorry for herself. "So, I was thinking about calling Jondy to see how she's doing. Got any messages?" 

Max shook her head. "Nah. I spoke to her yesterday. She's sure everything is going to turn out fine and me and Logan will do the happily ever after thing." 

Alec put his arm around Max's shoulder. "She's never been wrong before." He handed her his cell phone. "Why don't you give Logan a call. See what he's up to." 

Max managed a small smile and took the cell phone. "Thanks. I'll be back in a few minutes." She headed for another part of Terminal City so that she could get some privacy. She had never been more aware then she was now, of how different she and Logan were. 

Max dialed Logan's cell and waited for him to pick up the phone. She smiled at the sound of his voice, yet saddened by how much she missed him. "Hey you. Whatcha up to?" 

Logan grinned to himself at the sound of Max's voice. "You know, the usual. Hacking into files, reading Sandeman's books, trying to keep busy so I won't miss you so much." 

"Is it working?" Max leaned against the wall. She could almost, if she closed her eyes, see him standing in the living room of Sandeman's house talking to her. "The keeping busy thing, I mean." 

"Not really." Logan wished he could at least reach out and hold her hand. In some ways, this was worse than the love bug virus. "It works until I try to get some sleep. Every time I close my eyes, you're there waiting for me." 

"I miss you too." Max finally got brave enough to say the words. "Gotta say though, you've just given me a reason to try and sleep." She teased him. "So what do I do when you close your eyes and see me?" 

Logan chuckled. "Well, let's just say you are very creative." He could almost envision Max blushing. "Not to mention very flexible." 

"You're making that up." Max could feel her face go bright red. 

"Well, I'll tell you what." Logan was already running the layout of Terminal City through his head. "If you can find us somewhere that we can be alone, we can find out exactly how good my imagination really is." 

Max giggled. "That sounds as though it could take some time. I'd have to find somewhere that you wouldn't get sick if you stayed for too long." 

"I'll let you know if I can think of anywhere myself." Logan heard someone walking up the front steps to the porch. "I've gotta go. Somebody's at the door. I love you." 

"I love you too." Max hung up the cell phone and stared at it in her hand for a moment. There had to be somewhere in Terminal City that wouldn't be too toxic for Logan. Thinking to herself, Max headed back to Alec and gave him his cell phone back. 

Alec dialed Jondy's number but stayed watching Max. "You and Logan didn't have a fight did you?" He was confused when Max shook her head. He would never understand Max and Logan's relationship. If they hadn't had a fight, why did Max still look so down. 

At that moment Jondy answered her phone. "Hey Jondy. How's everything going?" Alec beamed at the sound of Jondy's voice. "Yeah, we're all fine. Nice and cozy in a toxic dump." He chatted to his favorite redhead for a few moments before handing Joshua the phone so that he could speak to Jondy as well. 

Sitting down beside Max, Alec started to wonder how Max and Logan had stayed together this long. "So if the reason for that depressed look on your face, isn't because you and Logan had a fight, what's the problem?" 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "I just miss him, that's all. I was kinda getting used to getting breakfast in bed on Sundays. It's sorta nice cuddling up to Logan at night, even though I don't need much sleep. I was even getting good at the whole relationship thing." 

Alec gave her a one armed hug. "I'm sure things are going to get better." He heard his name being called. "Cheer up. Joshua is starting to worry about you." He walked over to Joshua to fetch his phone. 

"It's Normal." Joshua whispered. "He wants to do something nice for Max and Logan. Maybe it will cheer little fella up." 

Alec put the phone to his ear. "Hey Normal. What's the plan?" As Normal relayed his plan over the phone, Alec had to admit he was impressed. His former boss had thought of everything. "Sounds good. We need a couple of extra things as well. Mind dropping them off as well when you arrive?" 

Logan tried to focus on his latest 'Eyes Only' case, but it was no use. He couldn't believe how much he missed Max. Even sleeping was becoming difficult. He had become so used to falling asleep with Max in his arms that he had trouble sleeping without her warm body curled up against his. When he finally did fall asleep, his dreams were filled with Max and he found himself waking disappointed that the real Max wasn't there. 

Things had always been complicated between he and Max, but finding out White was Sandeman's son hadn't helped. Logan had contacted the old man to let him know where CJ was and that White had changed his last name to stop his own father. Sandeman had been devastated by his older sons actions, especially the obsession White had with Jondy. The only thing that had calmed the old man was Logan's promise to try and get CJ back to his father. But it would take time and with Max in danger if she left Terminal City, it made the mission that much more difficult. 

A knock at the door dragged Logan from his thoughts. "Not more people preaching against Transgenics." He muttered to himself. He was surprised to find Original Cindy standing outside. "Hi. Anything wrong?" 

"No Boo. Just gonna need you to come with me." Original Cindy grabbed Logan's hand and dragged him down the steps to a waiting car. 

"Whose car?" Logan climbed into the passenger seat, completely bewildered . So much so that he didn't see Original Cindy signal some one by the side of the road. 

"Normal's." Original Cindy started the car and headed towards Terminal City. "Don't even think about asking me any more questions, cause it's a surprise. A damn good surprise." 

Logan knew Max's friend well enough to trust her. He relaxed as Original Cindy drove through the streets. He realized a few minutes later that they were heading to Terminal City. He was going to get to see Max. Even a few minutes alone with her was better than constantly being distanced from her. 

Back at Sandeman's house, Alec directed an group of X5's and X6's to start unloading the removal van. "Come on people. We don't want to be out here for too long." He stood aside as Logan's king sized bed from his apartment at Foggle Towers was carried into the house. "Bedroom's in the back." Several other items that hadn't been destroyed in Logan's apartment had been discreetly removed and brought to the house. 

Although Alec would never admit it out loud, he felt he owed Max and Logan a lot. They had been there for him when he hadn't given them any good reason to stick around. He kept an eye out for any trouble on the street and then locked the house up once everything had been moved in. "OK folks. Let's go see if Normal's plan worked." 

Max was surprised to see Sketchy inside Terminal City. "Hey Sketch." She gave her friend a hug. "Normal's gonna bust your ass if he finds out you're here visiting me instead of working." 

"Nah, Normal knows I'm here." Sketchy gave her a lop sided grin. "It was his idea." 

Max frowned. "What was his idea?" She was beginning to get worried. "What's going on?" She didn't need anymore trouble than she already had. "This." Sketchy opened the door to what used to be a lab. "Believe it or not, this was Normal's idea." Sketchy still couldn't believe the extent of Normal's kindness himself. 

Max's jaw dropped as she looked into the lab. Normal had spent most of the afternoon scrubbing the room clean. Alec had actually managed to get hold of a suit used for cleaning up chemical spills and an oxygen mask so that Normal would be able to work inside Terminal City for a long period of time. One of the work benches had been covered with a red and white table cloth and two scented candles were burning in the center. The work bench had been set up for two people and a small vase of flowers sat between the two candles. The whole room was bathed in a warm glow. It was the most romantic scene Max had seen in a long time. 

Max recovered from the surprise quickly. "Normal did this? Why?" 

Sketchy shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. I guess he feels bad for the way he's treated you in the past." He turned and walked back out the door. "Enjoy." 

A few minutes later Logan was shoved through the door and left standing in the candlelit room with a completely confused Max. "Well, this is nice, but do you have any idea what's going on?" Logan took a step closer to Max. He smiled to himself. 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "Sketch said something about this all being Normal's idea. I guess Alec must have found a way to get him in here." She noticed Logan's smile. "What are you grinning at?" 

Logan's smile widened as he took another step closer. "I was just thinking how you are so much more beautiful in real life than you are in my dreams." 

Max blushed. "So are you." She took a step closer to Logan so that they were now only a breath away from each other. "I don't think you've said hello properly to me yet." 

"I'd better fix that then." Logan bent down slightly and brushed Max's lips with his. "Hi." 

Max wrapped her arms around Logan's neck and pulled him closer. "Hi yourself." She deepened their kiss and showed Logan how much she had missed him. When they finally pulled back due to lack of oxygen, Max noticed the smell of food was in the air. 

On the tablecloth sat two plates heaped with food. Normal was standing beside the set up bench with a bottle of wine in his hand. "I thought you two might enjoy having dinner together." He looked a little nervous as he poured the wine. "Enjoy the meal." He left the bottle of wine on the bench and left the way he had come in. 

Max looked up at Logan. "I don't know if I like Normal being nice to us. It doesn't seem natural." 

Logan wrapped his arms around Max's waist. "Maybe he feels bad about how he treated you before. It would be a shame to waste this food." He pulled a stool out for Max to sit on. "Shall we?" 

Max smiled up at him. "May as well." Max ate silently for a few minutes just enjoying being in the same room as Logan. "So any news on White? I'd sort of like a heads up on when to expect his next attempt to get us out of the way." 

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "He was in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Joshua did a pretty good job on him. He disappeared after leaving the hospital. I can't find any trace of him. Gotta think his familiar pals aren't that happy with him either. After all, he's had plenty of opportunities to catch you and he keeps failing." 

Max raised an eyebrow. "When did I stop being a problem and become an opportunity?" 

"Probably around the same time White got a crush on your sister." Logan replied. "You know, this meal is great." He knew that he didn't have much time to spend with Max and he didn't want to waste it talking about White. 

Max nodded in agreement. "It's not bad. Not as good as your cooking but not bad." Max was starting to feel guilty about being spoilt. "You know the others are probably going to resent me getting special treatment." 

Normal reappeared as Max spoke. "That's probably why Alec asked me to bring some extra supplies. I don't quite understand why he wanted cigars." 

Logan chuckled. "I do. What do we owe you Normal?" He realized Alec had thought in advance which of the Transgenics would complain first and had organized the cigars for him. 

Normal shook his head. "Nothing. Alec took care of the extras and I wanted to do this to sort of say I was sorry. I made a rash judgment without knowing all of the facts." 

Max couldn't believe how touched she was by Normal's little speech. "Thanks. Have you seen how much the baby girl you helped deliver has grown?" 

Normal's face lit up. "Yeah. She's going to be a real stunner when she grows up. Her mother let me hold her." He quickly placed the dessert on the table and left. 

Max chuckled. "I never thought I'd see the day when Normal went soft. I guess hell must have frozen over." 

Logan couldn't stop staring at Max. Despite everything she had gone through in her life, she still looked so sweet and innocent. "Yeah, well I guess finding out that half your staff is transgenic doesn't happen everyday. Once he got over the shock, Normal probably remembered how you saved his life when you were supposed to be enjoying yourself at my cousin's wedding." 

"Maybe." Max's face shone as she remembered that night. "Considering you spent most of the night talking to your ex, I doubt I would have enjoyed myself much even if I hadn't been tracking down a stolen painting." 

Logan shot her a sheepish look. "I don't think I ever apologized for that. I'm really sorry. In my defense, I wasn't totally ignoring you. I did notice you were the most beautiful woman there." 

Max giggled. "That has to be the most sorry excuse for an apology that I have ever heard. Lucky for you, I am in a very forgiving mood." She got up from her seat and moved around the workbench to stand in front of Logan. "Besides, I'm sure you'll make it up to me." 

Logan's arms snaked around her waist pulling her close. "I can but try." He whispered in her ear before nibbling his way down her neck. 

Original Cindy stood between Sketchy and Normal watching the monitor before them. "What is that man's problem? You would have thought he'd lay off after Joshua almost broke his back for him. The man needs to lighten up and get laid." She saw Alec turn pale at her last comment. "Oh yeah, right." 

Sketchy frowned, confused. "Yeah, right, what? What did we miss?" He glanced over at Alec, who was looking decidingly uncomfortable. 

Normal also noticed Alec's expression. "This guy White has a thing for Max, doesn't he?" He had always thought that Max and Alec bickered too much for there to be nothing going on between them. 

Alec shook his head, his gaze still on the monitor. "Not Max. He's has a thing for her sister, Jondy. She sort of has that affect on most men." 

"Which one's Jondy?" Sketchy whispered to Original Cindy, who promptly punched him in the arm. 

"You know her as Jessica." Original Cindy had noticed that Alec hadn't been chasing anything in a skirt as he usually did, for quite a while. "How long have you had feelings for her, Boo?" 

Alec was shocked by Cindy's question. He thought he had been covering his feelings well. "Can we discuss this some other time? It looks as though White is trying to get back into his breeding cult buddies good books." 

"You want me to go and get Max and Logan?" Normal made a move to leave. 

"I don't think you want to disturb them." Joshua pointed to his ear. "Max and Logan getting busy." He grinned at Original Cindy. 

"Well, then we'll leave them to it." Original Cindy patted the dog man's hand. "You stop listening in doggie dog." She turned to Alec. "What do you need us to do?" 

Alec reached into a drawer and pulled out a set of coms. "You guys stay here and keep an eye on the monitors. We need to know what White's doing, every move he makes." He plugged a set of coms into his ear and handed Original Cindy, Sketchy and Normal a set of coms each. "Mole! We have a visitor. Want to be part of the welcoming committee?" 

The cigar smoking Transgenic appeared in the doorway, shouldering a rifle. "Sure. Why not. I'm in a hospitable mood. Who's the visitor?" 

"White." Alec stormed towards the door. 

Herbal walked into the room as Alec and Mole walked out. "What's wrong?" 

Original Cindy pointed to the monitor. "That's wrong. What sort of moron breaks into a transgenic community wearing a suit and tie and expects not to get sprung." 

"One who thinks he can win a losing battle." Joshua suggested before he walked out the door. 

"So Alec has the hots for Max's sister." Sketchy muttered. 

Original Cindy smacked him across the back of the head. "Shut up Fool." 

Ames White crept through the darkening city. All he had to do was find Terminal City's water supply and he could wipe most of the world's Transgenic community out. The human's would be thanking him for saving their pitiful lives and then he could finish preparing for the coming. Of course he would keep X5 452 long enough to tell him where his son was and where X5 210 could be found. 

Ames was so busy patting himself on the back that he didn't notice he was being watched. He opened the vial he had been carrying in his pocket and emptied it into the water tower that he had climbed up. The transgenics wouldn't know what had hit them. Word would be leaked out that the transgenics were diseased and before long, humans would be standing in line to exterminate the vermin. 

Alec signaled Joshua to cut off the water supply. Once the water had been cut off, he positioned himself to get an accurate shot. Nudging Mole, he pointed to where he intended White to fall. Aiming carefully, knowing he only had one shot at this, Alec fired his weapon. 

White fell straight to the ground. As he moved to stand up, he found a rifle aimed at his head. Before he could even attempt to escape, Mole slapped a set of handcuffs on him. "What do you want to do with him now? You know there's some transgenics in the northern sector that are part piranha." 

"I called Clemente to pick him up." Max appeared from the shadows. "Logan is leaking the story of how White just tried to contaminate Seattle's water supply to the news van outside the fence." 

"They'll never believe you." White snarled. "As far as everyone outside that fence knows, you can't even get water and electricity in here." 

Max grinned. "Well, that's progress for you. With the help of a generator, there is actually footage of you doing your evil deeds." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Gotta figure when the conclave see the footage on the six o'clock news, they'll probably revoke your cult membership. Good luck surviving without your moron cult buddies." 

Mole shoved White ahead of him. "You know, for a supposedly superior race, you're really stupid." He gave White another shove. "Come on, there's a nice little paddy wagon waiting for you." 

Alec and a few others followed Mole incase White tried to escape. Joshua stayed with Max. "You knew White was here little fella?" 

Max nodded. "Yeah big fella. White sure knows how to ruin a romantic moment. My cat sense sure kicks in at the wrong moments." 

Joshua gently patted her head. "You'll get other chances to be with Logan. Max and Logan together. That's the plan." 

"It sure is." Logan walked up to them and put his arms around Max. "Just not today. Alec thinks the police are probably going to tighten security around Terminal City any minute. I've gotta go." 

Max reluctantly nodded. "Call me when you get home. There's a lot of freaks out there, you know." 

Logan chuckled. "I know." He kissed Max good-bye, not wanting to leave, but knowing he had to. "I love you." 

"I love you too." Max let go of Logan and watched as he shook hands with Joshua and walked away. 

Joshua hugged Max. "You have good friends, little fella. You watch. Things will work out in the end. You and Logan will get the storybook ending." 

"You think so?" Max looked up at her canine friend. 

"I know so." Joshua kissed the top of her head. 

Logan walked into the old house and noticed immediately that something was different. Most of his furniture from his apartment had been moved from Foggle Towers to Sandeman's house. Logan immediately dialed Alec's cell phone. "Hey, who do I get to thank for the furniture?" 

Alec chuckled. "Figured it was the least we could do, considering all the supplies you've been sneaking into us." 

"Thanks." Logan hadn't considered that he was doing anything out of the ordinary when he had organized the supplies. "Is Max around?" 

"Yeah. She's right here." Alec handed Max his phone. He signaled to the other Transgenics to leave the room so that Max could have some privacy. 

"Hey you." Max couldn't help the smile that broke across her face. "So I guess you got home alright." 

"Safe and sound." Logan sat down on his sofa. "It appears Alec and his transgenic elves were busy while I was at Terminal City. All of my furniture from the apartment is here." 

"So that's where they disappeared to." Max had to admit, it was a pretty nice thing for Alec to do. "The National Guard just arrived to secure the area. I guess it'll be a while before we can visit again." She could see Alec trying to get her attention out of the corner of her eye. "What?" 

Alec pointed to a number of cartons of bottle water. "Tell Logan thanks for this. Herbal and Sketchy managed to drop it off before the National Guard locked us in." 

Max nodded. "So I see you did some shopping on the way home."' She knew Logan would never steal now that he had the funds to pay for what they needed. "Thanks." 

"No problem." Logan took a guess that Herbal and Sketchy had done what he had asked, not to mention paid them to do. "Alec got me a sample of the water in the water tower. I'm going to get it to Sebastian in the morning. See if we can find out what White put in the water. Maybe it can be neutralized so that the water can still be used." 

"Sounds like a plan." Max sighed. "I gotta go. Talk to you soon. Sweet dreams." 

Logan chuckled. "As long as you're in them, they will be." He said goodbye and hung up the phone. He took the vial of water out of his pocket and looked at it. "This time you're not going to get away with hurting my family, White." He muttered to himself. 

The new High Priestess faced the members of the conclave council. "It is the unanimous decision, following the latest failure of brother White to destroy the transgenics, that brother White be relieved of his position in the conclave. There will be no further association with Ames White. Failure to keep with this decision endangers us all." 

The response to her announcement was deafening. They spoke as one voice. "So be it." 

Ames White sat in his cell glaring at Detective Clemente through the bars. "I won't be staying long. I'll be out and home before breakfast." 

Clemente smiled and shook his head. "I don't think so Special Agent White. Everyone including the Mayor have washed their hands of you. Make yourself comfortable. You're here for a long stay." 

_The End_


	31. Confusion

**"Confusion"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Ronan, Lydsey, Maggie, Devon, Jondy's daughters and however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. The song included in this story is sung by British group 'Liberty X' and the words may not be 100% correct.

**Summary:**

When some of the children inside Terminal City get ill, the X5's pull together to find out what's wrong with them. Unforeseen feelings lead to a few confessions. 

**Timeframe:**

Freak Nation and The Kidz are Alright.

**Rating:**

PG - some graphical violence

* * *

The riots outside of the Terminal City perimeter had lessened over the past month. Not enough to consider it safe to just walk in and out of the gate. There was still a news team reporting from the outside, making the whole situation sound worse than global warming. 

Zane sat inside the van he had brought after he had last returned from Seattle. He would be hard pressed getting into Terminal City without being spotted. The National Guard had posted men over the man hole covers as well as any entrances and exits. Zane wondered if they realized that they were probably protecting the Transgenics from the humans, more than the other way around. 

As Zane sat watching the scene outside of his van he dialed the number to Alec's cell phone. It was answered on the second ring. "Hey Alec. It's Zane. How's it going inside there?" 

Alec looked around him. "Well, I've had worse. I've also had better. Is Jondy with you?" He felt a twinge of guilt that he hadn't at least asked Zane how he was, before asking after the red head who filled his dreams. 

"No." Zane had suspected for a while that Alec had more than brotherly feelings towards his sister. "Why? Is everything alright in there?" 

Alec tried to cover his disappointment. "Yeah. We have a few pregnant transgenics in here and some of the kids seem to have the flu. We have people in here that know the basics in medicine. It's just it would have been nice to have someone with more than a basic knowledge, that's all. Where are you anyway?" The signal from Zane's cell was too clear for him to still be in Los Angeles. 

"Outside the gate." Zane grinned to himself. Alec had hidden his feelings well, but Zane knew what the reaction to his sister was so well, that he could pick it out a mile away. "Nice little circus you've got going on out here. I've got supplies in the van, but there's no way for me to get in without being spotted." The news of the transgenic kids having the flu worried him. Transgenics were supposed to be immuned to that sort of thing. "Where's Logan hanging out these days?" 

"At Sandeman's place, where Joshua was living." Alec was looking around for Max, thinking she might want to speak to her brother. "He's got a computer all set up so that we can speak to you over the monitor with the help of those eye camera things." 

"Cool." Zane would check in with Logan before he decided if he should call the others in or not. "Talk to you guys soon then." He switched off his cell phone and started the van. If he called the others in, the first thing they would have to get rid of, was the news van. 

Alec went looking for Max. He knew she would want to talk to Zane when he called back. He finally found her in the part of Terminal City they had turned into the medical ward. "Hey. Zane's in town." He saw the worried look on Max's face. "The kids aren't getting any better?" 

Max shook her head. "With the National Guard outside, we can't go out to bring medical supplies in." She figured Alec had some other reason for being there than checking up on the kids. "What's up with you?" 

"Zane's going to call back from Logan's." Alec gestured with his head towards the door. "I thought you'd want to say hi. Besides, he may be able to get the medical supplies you need. I think he has things like food and blankets already. He said he had supplies with him." 

Max followed Alec out the door. "If these kids don't get any better, we may have to call Jondy in." She didn't really want to put her siblings in more danger than they already were, by asking them to come to Seattle. "Jondy had the most access to up to date medical technology through Devon when he was alive." 

By the time Alec and Max got to the contact center in Terminal City, Logan and Zane were on the monitor. "Hey Big Brother. What brings you to the Transgenic Nerve Center?" Max smiled at her brother. "Nice beard." 

Zane chuckled. "Thanks Sis. I thought it would make it harder to recognize me. How am I doing? I think I freaked Logan out when I turned up on the door step." 

"Hey, cut me some slack." Logan joked. "You and your family don't exactly phone before you turn up." 

Zane took Logan's jesting as it was meant. "So Alec tells me you have a few sick kids in there and some mothers to be as well. How are you coping?" 

Max ran her hand over her face. "I don't know Zane. We have people here that have medical knowledge, but not enough to be able to tell us why transgenic kids that are supposed to be immuned to most illness', have the flu." 

"We have another problem." Alec added. "Even if we decide to risk bringing Jondy here, there's no way to get her in here. After we kicked White's butt last week, security was tightened." 

Zane considered what Alec had said for a moment before pulling out his cell phone. He knew his redheaded sister better than anyone despite, the bond Max and Jondy shared as twins. He smiled as his sister answered the phone. "Hey J. How would you feel about spending the long weekend in Seattle?" 

"What's wrong?" Jondy instinctively knew it wasn't Max that was the cause for concern. Krit and Syl had turned up that morning intending to spend the long weekend in San Francisco. "We can leave for San Francisco in an hour." 

"Here's the thing," Zane noticed Jondy said we not I. He also knew Jondy wouldn't risk bringing her children anywhere that they could get ill, which meant the we had to be one or more of their siblings. "Some of the kids in Terminal City have flu symptoms. Which is sort of strange considering they should be immuned." 

"So I guess I should pack my nurse's uniform." Jondy rolled her eyes. 

"Might be an idea." Zane grinned mischievously. "Can you bring something slutty to wear as well?" 

"I sense this is going to be a multiple wardrobe changing trip." Jondy felt someone tugging on her hand. "Hold on a sec Zane." She saw one of her adoptive daughters standing behind her. "What's the matter?" 

Maggie, Jondy's Irish daughter pointed to three cartons the girls had brought into the room. "We went through our clothes and toys and put the ones we don't use in the cartons. So since you're going to Seattle anyway, we thought you could take them for the transgenic kids." 

Jondy squeezed Maggie's hand. "That's very thoughtful of all of you." She returned her attention back to the phone call. "Zane, we'll be in the van. Do you need any more supplies?" 

Zane looked at Max on the monitor as he spoke to Jondy. "Well, I've got canned food, cartons of bottled water, blankets, bed rolls and a couple of first aid kits." 

Max listened to Zane's list. "We also need some gas for the generators. Maybe we can knock an alternative to the gas up if we can get our hands on a few car batteries." 

Zane relayed Max's request to Jondy. "When can you get here Sis?" He always got uneasy when his sister had to get through check points. 

"Probably first thing in the morning. I'll have to stop for the supplies at different points." Jondy always had a bag packed, so it wouldn't take her long to get ready. "See you soon." 

Zane finished up his call. "J will be here first thing in the morning. So I guess we'll see you then. Do me a favor Max. Have some of your more human looking Transgenics standing by in the morning. I may have an idea on how to keep an entrance into Terminal City clear." 

Max looked suspicious. "Want to let us in on your plan." 

Zane shook his head and grinned. "No. I want it to be a surprise." He flicked off the monitor before his sister could ask anymore questions. Turning to Logan, he chuckled. "I don't suppose you know where we can get our hands on some National Guard uniforms do you?" 

Logan grinned when he realized what Zane's plan was. "No, but I can find out." He pulled a chair up in front of the computer and started tapping away at the keyboard. 

Jondy walked confidently through the hospital corridors in the short nurse's uniform. "I am getting far too much use out of this outfit." She muttered into the set of coms she was wearing. 

"Yeah, well the sooner you find the supply closet, the sooner we can continue onto Seattle." Krit reminded his sister. "Syl's waiting on the North side of the building with your harness." 

Jondy finally found what she was looking for. "So what did you do to upset Syl and don't bother trying to deny it Big Brother. I can see Syl shooting daggers at you with her eyes." 

Syl's voice cut over the coms. "He never wants to go out. If Krit had his way, we'd stay in bed all day every day. All I wanted to do was go out dancing." 

Krit winced. "I was tired, I just feel like going out." It wasn't the truth, but he was too embarrassed to admit he had no idea how to dance. 

"You never want to go out." Syl sulked. "You just couldn't come up with a descent excuse this time." 

Jondy listened to their bickering as she pushed a loaded trolley down the corridor until she found an empty room. Making sure the door was locked behind her, Jondy made her way to the window and opened it. Syl lowered a back pack to Jondy from where she was floating just about her sister. Jondy loaded up the back pack and using the sheets off of the bed, made bundles and tied the rest of the supplies on to the rope. 

"Ok Krit." Jondy could see her brother waiting at the bottom of the rope. "Special delivery coming your way." 

Krit loaded the back pack and bundles into the van and waited for his sisters to descend down the front of the building. "J, Syl. You better hurry. I'm starting to get funny looks from passersby." 

"We're on our way." Jondy put her harness on and swung herself out the window, just as someone started banging on the door. 

Effortlessly, Jondy and Syl glided down the front of the building, detached themselves from the rope and jumped into the van Krit had already started. 

Krit waited for the van door to slam shut before flooring the gas. "Ok. I just need to make a quick stop to change the plates on the van and then we can head towards our first fuel stop." 

Jondy changed in the back of the van into a pair of demin jeans and a cobalt blue top. "I need to stop off at a couple of supermarkets as well. I couldn't risk stealing any antibiotics so we'll have to go with a natural antibiotic." 

Syl chuckled. "Don't you think people are going to get suspicious when you buy out the entire stock of dried sage?" 

Jondy smiled sweetly. "Not if there's more than one of us doing the buying." 

Krit smirked. "Nah, they'll just think we trying to smoke the stuff." 

Max sat on the roof of Terminal City's highest building watching the sun set. She wished Logan was sitting beside her. The romantic in him would love the way the sky turned such beautiful colors. She smiled to herself. She knew that Logan being the eternal optimist would tell her that they plenty of sunsets to watch together ahead of them. The unfortunate turn that their lives had taken was just a minor set back. Max wished she could just have something go right for her for a change. 

Max waited for a few minutes for the sun to finish setting before heading back to the sick children. When the children had first started to get ill, she had wondered if it had something to do with the water that White had contaminated a couple of weeks ago. After contacting Sebastian to see what he had found in the sample Logan had taken to him, she had hit a dead end. Although Sebastian had found traces of the bronchitis virus in the water, all of the Transgenics were immuned to such virus'. They were also immuned to the toxic waste that had been dumped in Terminal City over the years, but they had all decided it couldn't hurt to do a clean up. The waste had been contained in one particular area and fenced off. Despite the humans protests against the Transgenics, there were still a few homeless humans living in Terminal City. They were aloud to stay on the condition they helped out in the community. 

Mole joined Max as they walked through Terminal City. "So I hear we have supplies on the way. Any idea how they're going to get through the human barricade outside the fence." 

"Yeah, I've got a pretty good idea." Max kept looking straight ahead. "My brother's sent for the Manticore distraction. We should have the supplies in here by breakfast." 

Mole chuckled to himself. "What is this distraction going to do exactly? In case you haven't noticed, there's a lot of people out there as well as a news van. What could possibly distract them long enough to get a van load of supplies in here, unloaded and back out again?" 

Max shot him an icy glare. "My sister. Also my brother has a plan of his own. I get the impression Zane's going to find a way to get an opening for us, so that we can pick up our own supplies." 

Mole was impressed. "Sounds as though you have some pretty handy siblings." He held the door open for Max, then followed her inside the make shift hospital to check on the children. 

Zane lay dozing on Logan's sofa while Logan slept in the bedroom. He woke the instant his phone started ringing. Answering it quickly so that the ringing didn't wake Logan, Zane knew before he heard her voice, who would be on the other end of the phone. "Hey J. Where abouts are you?" 

"Heading to Joshua's." Jondy had taken over the driving so that Krit and Syl could get some sleep. "We should be there in about fifteen minutes." 

"Who's we?" Zane sat up and rubbed his eyes. He had only had an hour or so sleep once he had stolen some uniforms from the National Guard's headquarters. 

"Krit and Syl are with me." Jondy glanced at her sleeping siblings. "Syl's not talking to Krit at the moment. She says he never wants to go anywhere with her." 

Zane shook his head and chuckled. "I bet that made your trip so much more fun." He could just picture Jondy being trapped in a van with Syl sulking and Krit pleading his innocence and begging to be forgiven. 

"Yeah." Jondy shot back sarcastically. "I wish I could do this everyday. I'll see you soon." 

Zane hung up his phone and went to put the kettle on. They would need a few minutes for Jondy to work all the kinks out of her body after being stuck in the van for so long, before they headed to Terminal City. He thought it best not to wake Logan until his siblings got there. It would give the man a few more minutes sleep. 

True to her word Jondy walked in the door after picking the lock, fifteen minutes later. Krit and Syl walked in after her. The house looked a lot tidier than the last time they had all been there. 

Jondy rotated her neck a couple of times before accepting the cup of tea Zane handed her. "I love what Logan's done with the place. I gather he's still asleep." 

Zane nodded. "I'm not that eager to wake him. He's not what you call a morning person." 

"I know the feeling." Krit kissed the top of Syl's head forgetting that she was mad at him. "You got any coffee made?" 

Zane gestured with his head to the coffee machine. "Help yourselves." He sat down on the sofa watching Jondy as she stretched out all of her limbs. "I stopped by Terminal City when I got to Seattle. We're going to need you to do that distracting thing you do. We need enough time to be able to chuck some National Guard uniforms over the fence and borrow the news van." 

"No problem." Jondy paced back and forth like a tiger, too wired up from being in an enclosed space for too long. "Syl can go with Logan in your van. That should give Syl the chance to grab the news van while Logan throws the uniforms over the fence. You can drive my van while Krit and I are on the roof." 

Zane frowned slightly. "What are you and Krit going to be doing on the roof? And how much is Syl going to want to kill you for it?" 

Jondy smiled sweetly. "I'm going to teach Krit to dance. Now which room is Logan in?" She put her now empty cup down on the coffee table and walked into the room Zane was pointing to. Zane, Krit and Syl followed her, unsure of what she was going to do. 

Jondy stood silently beside Logan's bed for a couple of minutes before Logan's arm suddenly snaked out and pulled her down onto the bed. "Don't move anything." Jondy warned him. 

Obviously Logan had thought it was Max in the room with him, judging from the reaction he was having to Jondy. Zane flicked the light's on, struggling not to laugh at the scene in front of him, which he and his sibling could see even with the lights out. "Well, I guess that was better than my idea of how to wake Logan up." 

Logan blinked for a few seconds as his eyes got used to the light. Then he saw who the woman was in his arms. He had one arm cradling her back and the other around her legs. "Sorry Jondy. Didn't know you'd arrived." 

Krit chuckled as he reached out a hand to help Jondy off the bed. "You sure do now." 

Syl tossed Logan a shirt which was lying on a chair in the room. "Time to get up Logan. We have supplies to deliver." She giggled as she and Jondy walked out of the bedroom. "I was going to say rise and shine, but I see a part of him is already up." Her giggles turned into a full blown laugh when Jondy gave her a good natured shove. 

Lydsey Macintyre nudged the cameraman beside her. "Look. Another van load of protestors is arriving. How long do you think it will be before we get something worth filming?" 

Ronan had been a cameraman long enough to spot a young reporter waiting for her big break. Lydsey was more impatient than most of the others he had seen. As he was about to speak, he saw a young man climb onto the roof of the van. It had only just started to get light, so Ronan could only just make out the form of a woman joining the man on the roof. "This could be your big break now Lydsey." His jaw dropped as it became lighter and the woman's outfit could be seen. 

Krit looked at the outfit Jondy was wearing. "I thought Zane asked you to dress in something slutty, not sexy." 

Jondy was wearing a short black skirt, black knee high stiletto boots with two small buckles on the sides, a black fitted v neck top and a long black jacket. "I don't own anything slutty. This was the best I could do." 

Krit saw Syl move into position beside the news van. "So why am I up here with you J? Shouldn't I be round the back helping Logan throw those uniforms over the fence?" 

Jondy shook her head. "No, I need you here. Besides I'm going to get you out of trouble with Syl." 

Krit frowned. "How are you going to manage that?" He had, had a feeling Zane and Jondy were up to something while they had been traveling to Terminal City. 

Jondy smiled sweetly. "I'm going to teach you to dance." She stamped her foot signaling Zane to start the music before Krit could find a way of backing out. 

Music came blaring out of the van, waking anyone who had actually fallen asleep in the crowd. The R and B rhythm of 'Just a little' by Liberty X filled the air grabbing everyone's attention. 

Logan waited for the National Guard troops to turn to see what the commotion was, before climbing onto the roof of his van and throwing the uniforms over the fence. He, himself was dressed in one of the stolen uniforms, so he merely stood watching the show as the disguised transgenics leapt silently over the fence. 

Logan chuckled to himself at the sight of the mesmerized males in the crowd watching Jondy who was by now, completely visible in the light of day. 

The music flowed over the crowd as Jondy seductively moved her hips in time with the music. Krit followed his sister's movements nervously at first, but then got the general idea of what she was doing. 

_ Sexy. Everything about you so sexy  
You don't even know what you got  
Ya really hitt'n' my spot  
Oh yeah  
  
And you're so innocent  
Please don't take this wrong   
Cause it's a complement  
I just wanna get with ya flow  
You gotta let it all go.  
Oh baby won't you  
  
Work it a little  
Get hot, just a little  
With me, in the middle  
Let go, just a little bit more (just a little bit)  
  
Let me. I'll do anything if you just let me  
(Come on baby)  
Find a way to make you respond  
I know you wanna break down those walls.  
Yeah  
  
And it's so challenging  
Getting close to you's what I'm imagining  
I just see you get down (just get down)  
You gotta let it all out  
  
Work it a little  
Get hot, just a little  
With me, in the middle  
Let go, just a little bit more (just a little bit)  
  
Work it a little  
Get hot, just a little  
With me, in the middle  
Let go, just a little bit more (just a little bit)  
  
It's so exciting, the way you're inviting me  
(I like it when you do it like that)  
Can get enough, won't you satisfy my needs  
  
Work it a little  
Get hot, just a little  
With me, in the middle  
Let go, just a little bit more (just a little bit)  
Give me just a little bit more  
  
Work it a little  
Get hot, just a little  
With me, in the middle  
Let go, just a little bit more (just a little bit)  
Give me just a little bit more  
  
Work it a little  
Get hot, just a little  
With me, in the middle  
Let go, just a little bit more (just a little bit)  
Give me just a little bit more  
  
Sexy. Everything about you so sexy  
You know what you got  
_

As the music faded, Krit lowered Jondy off of the roof of the van into Zane's waiting arms. Lydsey turned to Ronan to ask if he had got the dance on tape, only to find the news van missing. "What the hell is going on here? Did you get any of that on tape?" 

Ronan had switched the camera on, but hadn't noticed that the tape had been removed. "No. Looks like today isn't the day for your big break after all." He looked back over to where the roof top dancing had been and noticed that the dancers and the van had disappeared as well. "Seattle just keeps getting more and more strange." 

Logan walked up to the guards dressed in the same uniform as he and the transgenics were. "You guys ready for the next shift?" He was followed by some of the disguised trangenics. 

"Hell yes." One of the guards stepped forward. "You missed one hell of a show though." He slapped Logan on the back. "See ya tonight." 

Logan waited for the guards to disappear from sight before signaling the three vans. "Terminal City is open for business." He walked through the entrance after the vans, leaving a few of the disguised transgenics standing guard so that they wouldn't alert anyone's suspicions. 

Max, Alec and Joshua met them in the compound and started to help unload the vans. Max glanced at Logan. "Nice uniform." She couldn't help but notice how it showed off his muscles. 

Logan grinned at her. "Yeah, well your brother said you liked men in uniform." 

Zane shook his head chuckling. "No, what I actually said was, I wonder how long it will take Max to get you out of that uniform." 

Syl joined in the laughter, having forgiven Krit for not telling her why he wouldn't go dancing with her. "We were going to take bets, but Jondy has an unfair advantage of knowing the two of you too well." 

Krit helped his red headed sister out of the van where she had been changing back into jeans and a warmer top. "You know it's always pointless betting against Jondy. She has the best poker face." 

Jondy grabbed her medical bag and handed Alec a carton of bottled water and a paper bag full of sage. "That's right. Everybody was looking at my face while I was on the top of the van." She joked. "Now where are these sick kids?" 

"Alec will show you." Max was comfortably settled against Logan's chest with his arms around her waist. "Thanks for coming Jondy." 

"No problem." Jondy cast her sister a concerned look. "What don't you get out of here for a little bit Max? You look as though you could do with a break." 

"Thanks. I might take you up on that." Max nodded towards a couple of transgenics watching them. "If you need to get linked up to Sebastian just ask those two. I don't why, but I still get the feeling that the kids being ill has something to do with what White put in the water." 

Zane could see Max was worn out as well as Jondy had. "Don't worry about it Sis. We'll take this shift. Logan, why don't you take Max home. We'll call you if anything comes up." 

Logan nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Be careful though the police department has the hover drones passing over Terminal City pretty regularly. We don't want them to figure out one of their teams is actually been replaced with Transgenics." 

"No problem." Krit grinned. "Got a couple of rifles Syl and I can borrow? We'll soon stop the breach of privacy." 

Syl noticed the concerned look on Logan's face and nudged him towards the now empty van. "Don't ask. Just get Maxie out of here for a couple of hours." 

Logan decided it probably would be best if he didn't ask what Max's mischievous brother had in mind. Taking hold of Max's hand he led her to the van, determined to make the most of a couple of hours alone with her. 

Krit took Syl's hand and headed off to find a good place for target shooting. Zane got Jondy's attention. "I'm gonna get Sebastian linked through to our coms. Couldn't hurt to have the information about the contaminated water supply while you're checking the kids." 

Jondy nodded in agreement as she followed Alec. "I'll catch up with you later Zane." She noticed that Alec was incredibly quiet as they headed towards the hospital. "Are you alright Alec?" For a moment she thought he might be missing Asha. 

Alec nodded. "I'm fine. I'm glad you're here. I think Max was starting to panic about these kids getting ill." He was babbling, he knew it, but Jondy was the one that had always seen through his smart ass comments and sometimes changeable moods. Zane had always claimed that Jondy was completely unaware of the effect she had on men. He hoped that would be the case this time. He finally dared to look Jondy in the eyes and saw that it wasn't. Once again Jondy had been able to see through his act. 

"How long have you felt like this?" Jondy knew Alec would understand what she meant without her having to voice it aloud. She saw Alec shrug his shoulders and look anywhere but at her. "We'll talk about this later Alec. Now where are the children?" 

Alec sighed with relief. "This way." He walked up to a door and held it open for Jondy. He watched silently as Jondy checked the children. She had a way with children. They seemed to trust her instantly. "Any idea what's wrong with them?" 

Jondy nodded. "Yeah, but I want to see the results of the tests Sebastian did on the water that White contaminated." 

Alec grinned to himself. He could practically see Jondy's mind at work. "You still think it was something in the water like Max does. Why wouldn't White just poison us and wipe us out in one move?" 

Jondy headed back towards the door with Alec following her. "That's exactly what he would have done. All he would have to do is leak the news that some of the Transgenics were ill and therefore diseased. The general public outside the perimeter of Terminal City wouldn't think twice before bombing Terminal City in the hope that they would kill off the disease and the Transgenics with it." 

In a sick sort of way it all made sense. "Well the kids didn't drink the water, but some of them admitted they were playing in the general area we disposed of the water after it was contaminated. So how would it have still affected them?" That was the part that confused Alec. 

Jondy walked into the control center where Zane was talking to Sebastian on a monitor, trying to figure out how to patch him through to Jondy's coms. "They didn't need to drink the water. It could have been absorbed through their skin." She leaned over Zane's tattooed shoulder slightly and smiled at the face on the monitor. "Hi Sexy. I heard you found the bronchitis virus in the water." 

Sebastian's face lit up with the briefest hint of a smile. "I knew you only wanted me for my brain." His mechanical voice joked. "You think the virus has been altered to pass the transgenic immune system?" 

Jondy nodded. "That's what I was thinking alright. Can you bring up the test results on the screen?" 

"I think I can manage that for my favorite redhead." Sebastian always appreciated how Jondy treated him as though he was just like any other man. He never felt pitied or disabled when she spoke to him. Even though he knew she wasn't interested in being anything more than a friend, it was still nice that she made him feel special and in a good way. With a slight nod of his head, he activated his computer to bring the test results up. 

Jondy glanced through the test results, nodding her head occasionally. "Alright, I see what he's done. It's pretty much as I guessed. Thanks Sebastian. I'll go and get these kids started on antibiotics. Catch you later." 

"Anytime Jondy." Sebastian's mechanical voice replied before the monitor cut out. 

Alec followed Jondy again. "I didn't see any antibiotics when we unpacked the vans." 

"That's what the sage is for." Jondy pulled her hair into a ponytail and secured it with a scrunchie. "It's a natural antibiotic. You put a teaspoon of dried sage into a cup of boiling water and make tea with it. It tastes pretty awful and you shouldn't have more than two cups a day, cause it can strip the stomach lining. It does the job though." 

Alec chuckled to himself. "God, you're so sexy when you talk all medical." He suddenly realized he had said his thoughts out loud. "Ah I mean ...." He looked up and saw Jondy trying not to laugh. "I think we'd better go and cure those kids." 

Jondy couldn't resist teasing him. "So you really think my medical knowledge is sexy? I took you to be more of a leg man." 

Alec pulled Jondy into a hug. "That's right. Make fun of me when I unintentionally bare my soul to you." He had to laugh at his own behavior. "Come on. We have some kids to make better." 

Logan carried the two cups of coffee over to the sofa where he had left Max, only to find her fast asleep. Setting the cups down on the coffee table, he watched her sleep for a moment. It was a rare sight, Max sleeping. Usually Logan woke to find Max watching him sleep. Bending down, he scooped Max into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. Laying her gently on his bed, he untied her boot laces and slipped her boots off of her feet and put them on the floor. He removed her jacket and folded it and laid it on the chair next to the bed. He tucked her into the bed, careful not to disturb her. Kissing her forehead, Logan lay down on the bed next to Max. He hadn't got very much sleep the previous night, so he closed his eyes and fell asleep. 

Logan woke to find Max awake watching him. "I see we're back on track. I missed waking up to find you watching me. Did you get enough sleep?" 

Max moved closer. "Yeah. Thanks for putting me to bed. I see you still have your uniform on." 

Logan chuckled. "Well, I seem to remember Zane saying something about you wanting to remove it yourself. Who am I to deprive you of anything you can get some sort of pleasure out of." 

Max giggled. "Well, you are just the most giving man on the face of the earth." She quickly disposed of his jacket. "Well isn't this just like unwrapping Christmas presents." 

Three hours later Logan finally got out of bed to start dinner. Dressed in only a pair of sweatpants, he quickly threw together a casserole and put it in the oven. He heard footsteps on the front porch. Knowing Max's family were in town, he didn't take much notice when his visitor let themselves in. 

Turning around he found Asha standing by the door. "Asha. What are you doing here? Come to think of it, how did you know where to find me?" 

Asha shifted from one foot to the other. "I heard what happened to your apartment so I guessed you might be here. Especially after I saw Max on the news. So I guess she's staying at Terminal City." 

Max was listening from the bedroom. "I don't believe she's still hitting on my boyfriend." Max slipped on one of Logan's shirts. 

Logan wasn't impressed. "Sometimes Max stays at Terminal City, sometimes she doesn't. Somehow I don't think you're here to ask how Max is doing?" 

Max chose that moment to make her appearance, dressed only in Logan's shirt. "Sweetie, have you got anything to drink?" She walked up behind Logan and put her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Oh, hi Asha. What brings you here?" 

Asha felt her heart plummet. She had missed out again. "Just came by to say hi. I thought maybe Logan had some 'Eyes Only' work for the S1W. But since he hasn't I guess I'll leave you to it." She quickly exited the house before she could embarrass herself any further. 

Logan rested his hands over Max's. He waited until he heard Asha descend down the front steps before speaking. "You heard her from the bedroom didn't you?" He turned slightly to kiss the top of her head. 

"Yeah. I couldn't resist." Max looked up into Logan's sparkling blue eyes. "Sorry. I know you only think of her as a friend, but Asha was making more than a friendly visit." 

Logan snickered. "I hadn't noticed. You see my sexy girlfriend was waiting in the bedroom for me." He glanced at the closed door. "I guess she was lying to Alec all this time." 

Max raised and lowered her eyebrows. "Yeah, well I think Alec worked that one out a while ago. Haven't you noticed that Alec has been paying a lot of attention to Jondy and not Asha?" 

Logan turned so that he was facing Max. "Yeah, but most guys pay a lot of attention to Jondy. You, yourself told me that Jondy was the Manticore distraction. Do you think Jondy knows?" 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. Normally I'd say no. With most guys Jondy doesn't notice the attention she's getting from them. With Alec though, she's always been able to see past his smart ass attitude. When she looks at Alec, she doesn't really see Ben like I do." 

Logan pulled Max close. "Well that's because Jondy never saw Ben after you all escaped. She's only ever know Ben as the child he was." 

"Maybe that's for the best." Max nuzzled Logan's neck. "At least she has a chance of being happy. So when's dinner going to be ready?" 

"You keep nuzzling my neck like that, dinner is going to burn." Logan heard the timer on the oven go off. Reluctantly, he untangled himself from Max's arms and started to dish the food out. "So should I expect any of your family to join us for dinner?" 

At that moment Krit and Syl walked through the door hand in hand. "Got anything to eat?" Krit announced, totally oblivious to his sister and Logan's half dressed state. 

Logan and Max burst out laughing. "Great timing Krit." Max started laying the table. 

"So how come you didn't go with Krit and Syl?" Alec sat down beside Zane. 

Zane watched Jondy show Joshua how to take care of the children. "I didn't really feel like sitting at a table with Krit and Syl unable to keep their hands off of each other and Max and Logan staring into each others eyes." He turned to look at Alec. "So have you told Jondy how you feel about her?" 

Alec shook his head. "No. She saw through me as usual. Am I really that obvious?" 

"No." Zane chuckled. "It's just Jondy and I have always been close. So it's easier for me to pick out people's reactions to her. With Max, it's a twin thing." His face became serious. "She's not one of your one night stands, Alec. If you hurt her, I'll kill you." 

Alec nodded, he understood. "You'll have to stand in line behind Max. I know Jondy's different. I guess I have known since the first time I met her." 

Zane went back to watching his sister. "I hope you're good at long distance relationships then. Jondy's not going to just move you in with her. It's probably going to take time." 

Alec saw Jondy glance their way. "No problem. I've got time." 

It was decided over dinner that Krit and Syl would stay at Original Cindy's place. Logan would make a quick trip back to Terminal City for the changing of the guards and then come back home where Max would spend the night with him. Jondy and Zane would stay and keep an eye on the sick children in Terminal City. 

Zane sat against the wall with Jondy seated in between Joshua and Alec in the dark. The sick children had started breathing more easily, a sure sign that the antibiotic herb was working. "Hey J." Zane whispered so that he didn't disturb the sleeping children. "Do you remember that night you confronted Zack? He was so shocked that you dared to speak to him like that." 

Jondy smiled to herself. "Yeah, I remember. I also remember that you wanted to be back in LA cause you had a hot little blond waiting for you." 

Zane chuckled. "Well Angelica sure wasn't waiting for me when I got back. Can't really blame her. After all, I told her I was just going to get some milk and came back three months later." 

"Did you remember the milk?" Joshua had his arms around Jondy, keeping her warm. 

Zane grinned at the canine man. "Funny, that's what she said just before she dumped me." 

Alec chuckled at Zane's honesty. "So what happened that night with Zack? I take it, he was the self appointed leader." 

Jondy flashed back to that night as she told the story. It was as clear to her as though it had happened yesterday. 

Canada was always the place they had arranged to run to if Lydecker caught up with them. But that night they were a few siblings short of a family. 

"What do you mean Max isn't coming?" Zane glanced at Jondy, who was watching Zack pace in front of them. Her expression gave nothing away. "At least tell us if she's alright." 

"She fine." Zack stopped pacing to glare at his brother. "She refuses to leave Seattle. You know how stubborn she is." 

"She's not the only one." Tinga moved to stand beside Jondy. "It's because of that guy that helped us last night, isn't it. You're jealous of him." 

Zack spun around to face his sisters. "He'll get her caught. I don't understand why she won't leave him. Can't she see, he's only putting her in more danger." 

"She won't leave the man she loves." Jondy finally spoke up. She saw Krit and Syl arriving behind Zack. "It's not that you think this guy will put Max in danger that's bothering you Zack. It's the fact she chose him, not you." 

"You don't know what you're talking about Jondy." Zack surprised himself by snarling at his sister. She had always been the shy quiet one when they were little. He had never thought he'd see the day she'd stand up to him. 

"Like hell I don't." Jondy's blue eyes flashed with anger. "You've never thought of Max like a sister. You're in love with her. But Zack, she's not in love with you. You'll never be more than a brother to her." Her voice softened slightly. "If you really love her, then let her be with someone who makes her happy. Let her go." 

"So what does Max's boyfriend do?" Having come in at the end of the conversation, Krit was unaware this was a delicate subject. 

"He saves the world." Zack muttered before storming off into the woods. 

Syl was confused. "Max's boyfriend is a missionary?" 

Alec chuckled as Jondy finished the story. "Well Syl wasn't far wrong. So you didn't even know Logan's name when you came to Seattle to find Max, Jondy?" 

Jondy shook her head. "No. I had no idea who Logan Cale was, even when I broke into his apartment. All I knew was, we had to get Max out of Manticore and Max sent me to get him." 

Joshua gently stroked Jondy's hair. "You made a new friend that night. Not a bad night's work." 

Zane shook his head in disbelief. "She was also in heat, Joshua and got shot that night from what I hear." 

"Hey, Jondy never does anything by halves." Alec joked. 

Logan sat on the carpet in front of the sofa with Max in his arms. So much had happened to them over the past few months, that it was nice to be able to just sit in front of the fire holding each other. "Do you ever think of the future?" 

Max pondered his question for a moment. "Not a lot. I guess I've been looking over my shoulder for so long, waiting for someone to drag my ass back to Manticore, that I got used to living in the here and now." She looked up at him. "Why?" 

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "Just wondering. I mean, we never talked about what we wanted out of our relationship until some of the choices were taken away." 

Max knew he was remembering when Max had lost their child that she hadn't even know she was pregnant with. "You want kids?" 

Logan kissed the top of Max's head. "Yeah, but I always thought that when we were ready to have kids, we'd have to adopt. Jondy told me there was a strong possibility that due to my injuries and the medication I took to get me back on my feet, I might not be able to father any children. I guess it just occurred to me that's probably a subject I should have discussed with you." 

Max giggled. "It's probably just as well you talked to Jondy. At the time I probably would have freaked if you had even brought the subject up." 

Logan was relieved that Max wasn't freaking about the subject being brought up now. "There are plenty of kids out there that need a good home. When we're ready, how many do you want?" 

Max looked at Logan in disbelief, trying not to laugh at the same time. "You're speaking like we can just pick children up like grocery items. Still, I wouldn't mind one or two. I don't think I could cope with fourteen children like Jondy does." 

Logan chuckled. "One or two kids sounds good to me." At the same time he was a little disappointed they couldn't have kids of their own, the natural way. But White had left Max with injuries that made that impossible. 

Max wondered if her transgenic DNA may have reversed the damage White had done to her. After all, it had with Jondy. It couldn't hurt to ask Jondy to look into the possibility for her. "I need to catch up with Jondy before she goes back to San Francisco. How do you feel about having a family dinner here tomorrow night?" 

"You're going to cook?" Logan couldn't resist teasing Max. 

Max burst out laughing. "Not if I ever want to see my siblings again. You don't mind doing the cooking do you?" 

Logan shook his head. "Of course not. In fact I was wondering if they would mind all coming back in November for Thanksgiving. It should be safe enough for Jondy to bring the children with her. I was thinking we could have it at Terminal City. It would probably be a new experience for most of the Terminal City family." 

Max turned and sat astride Logan's lap. "That's a great idea." She couldn't believe how considerate Logan was. "Thanks for doing so much for my family." 

Logan smiled at his gorgeous girlfriend. "Hey, I consider them my family too. Besides, I can never repay everything your family has done for me." Jondy sprung into his mind. He had never met anyone who had gone out of their way to help him walk again and then cure the retro virus Manticore had given Max. Through it all she had never asked for anything in return. 

Max watched the emotions flicker across Logan's face. "They consider you family as well, you don't have anything to make up for." She saw the surprise on Logan's face. Giggling she kissed Logan on the nose. "You have a lousy poker face." 

Logan rolled his eyes and chuckled. "I think you just know me too well." He looked into Max's deep brown eyes. "Have I told you lately that I love you?" 

Max reached out and stroked Logan's cheek. "Not in last five minutes. It's not as though I'd forget. I love you too." She leaned and gently brushed Logan's lips with hers. "Of course I wouldn't complain if you showed me how much you love me." 

Logan rolled them both onto the floor. "I never could refuse you." 

Afterwards, Max snuggled closer to Logan. That had been so much better than the frantic tearing off of clothes that they had taken part in that morning, several times. Not that she had any complaints about Logan's performance then, either. "Wow, you love me that much, huh?" 

Logan chuckled. "With all my heart, soul and body." 

Alec woke to find himself using Joshua's shoulder as a pillow. Zane was asleep in the same position on Joshua's other shoulder. Jondy had disappeared. For a moment Alec panicked, then he remembered that Jondy didn't need the amount of sleep that they did. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Alec searched the room looking for Jondy. Finally he saw her rocking a child to sleep. 

Careful not to disturb Joshua and Zane, Alec stood and walked towards Jondy. "How's she doing?" He nodded to the child in her arms. 

Jondy tucked the child back into bed. "She'll be fine. They all will." She stood and stretched. "Want to take a walk with me?" 

Alec nodded. "Sure." He followed her out into the bleak night. "I guess you want to have that talk." 

Jondy smiled. "I guess I do. How long were you going to stay silent about your feelings?" 

Alec shrugged his shoulders. "I figured you never got over Devon. Then I figured that you only saw me as a brother and I managed to convince myself that, that was better than nothing." 

Jondy shook her head. "I know you won't settle for second best Alec. That's one of the reasons it didn't work with Asha." 

Alec put his arm around Jondy's shoulders and laughed. "Gee, I thought it was Asha lusting after Logan. The last fight we had, I told her if Logan didn't have Max, he always had you and Syl to fall back on." 

Jondy stopped walking. "I think Max is it for Logan. I seriously doubt anyone would have a chance with him if he didn't have Max. I'm glad they found each other." 

Alec nodded. "So what is it about their little drama that you find so romantic?" He always felt Logan and Max made things too complicated. 

Jondy turned slightly to face Alec. "I think the fact that no matter what happens, they are always there for each other. Even when one of them is pushing the other away, they still know they can turn to each other when things get rough." 

Alec looked into Jondy's brilliant blue eyes. "You think we could have that?" He saw the unspoken question floating in the blue pools of her eyes. "I mean, I know we have complications of our own. Getting involved with you involves at least fourteen other people. But I figure we can take things slow and work through the big decisions later, together. Just, let's not take as long as Max and Logan." 

Jondy smiled up at him. "You have this all worked out, don't you?" 

Alec leaned closer to her. "Actually, I'm confused as hell, but this feels right." He gently brushed her lips with his. Pulling back slightly, he waited for a moment for her to push him away. Instead Jondy pulled him back down and kissed him passionately back. 

Joshua watched from the shadows, smiling to himself. "Jondy and Alec getting busy." He glanced at Zane who was standing next to him. 

Zane patted Joshua on the back. "I think they have a long way to go before they get to that point." 

"But Jondy won't be lonely anymore." Joshua pointed out. 

Zane grinned at Joshua. "Maybe we can find somebody, someday so we won't be lonely anymore either." 

Joshua chuckled. "I think Doctor Shakar likes you. Maybe you should pay her a visit before you go back to LA." 

Zane had been thinking the same thing. "Maybe I will." He cast his sister one last look before heading back to check on the children. He just hoped that Alec treated Jondy with the love and respect that she deserved. 

The following night, they all sat around the dinner table. Jondy thought Logan's Thanksgiving idea was fantastic. "Just let us know what you need before we leave home and we'll pick it up on the way." 

Zane nodded in agreement. "I saw a building that looked as if it used to be a bakery in Terminal City. If you can get it up and running, it should be perfect to cook a few turkeys." 

Logan hadn't considered how he was going to cook everything. "Well, that solves one problem. Still we don't have to work everything out tonight." 

Joshua nudged Max. "So you're really staying at Terminal City? I thought you'd stay here with Logan." 

As much as Max wanted to do just that, it didn't seem fair. "No. Logan is still working on turning his Grandmother's house into a recreation center. Besides, I convinced all those transgenics to stay at Terminal City. I'd feel as though I had made one set of rules for them and another for me." 

Krit considered his sister's statement. "So get Terminal City up and running so that it's a proper city. If it's less like a dump and more like what exists outside the fences, then maybe it won't matter so much if you live here with Logan or if he lives there with you.' 

Syl kissed Krit's cheek. "You have it all worked out, don't you? What about those programs that are loaded into the hover drones to show up any transgenics? That's your biggest problem outside the Terminal City perimeter." 

Zane shook his head. "I've been working with Mole on a device to jam the frequency that the hover drones use to run that program. We think we have something that will do the job." 

"The children should have fully recovered in the next day or two." Jondy added. "So there's another problem crossed off your list." 

Max watched her family chatting over the dinner table. It should always be like this. Not humans verses transgenics. She reached beneath the table and took hold of Logan's hand. 

Jondy had been watching Max out of the corner of her eye, reading her sister's expression. "Max, can you spare an hour to go visit the hospital with Zane and I. I want to check that implant and Zane wants to check out Beverly Shankar." 

"Jondy!" Zane turned bright red. "You're not going to greet her like that are you?" 

Jondy rolled her eyes. "No. I thought about standing at one end of the hospital and screaming 'Zane has the hots for Doctor Shankar.'" She looked teasingly at her brother. "What? Too subtle?" 

Zane returned her teasing look. "So how long were you and Alec tonsil wrestling last night?" 

Jondy stood and grabbed Zane's hand. "Don't know. I wasn't timing it. Joshua was. How long were we tonsil wrestling Joshua?" 

"Two hours, forty minutes and twenty five seconds." Joshua stated. "Then they came up for air and it was another hour and a half before we needed to get Jondy to check on one of the children." 

Krit and Syl looked at each other, unaware that there was anything between Jondy and Alec. Before they could say anything Jondy, Zane and Max had walked out the door. 

Logan laughed at the stunned look on Krit and Syl's face. "They only just happened this weekend. Don't worry, I wouldn't have noticed either if Max hadn't pointed it out." 

"Oh, well I feel better now." Krit chuckled. "I thought I hadn't noticed before cause I was too busy getting Syl to stop being mad at me." 

Syl gave an unladylike snort. "You could have avoided all that by just telling me you couldn't dance. What the hell was with the bump and grind show on the roof of the van yesterday?" 

Alec shook his head in disbelief. "First you're mad at Krit because he won't take you out dancing. Then you're mad at him cause he didn't tell you he couldn't dance. Now you're mad because he learnt to dance from your sister. Is this some weird condition you have?" 

Logan and Joshua silently cleared the table and started the washing up. They worked quietly side by side while the other three bickered in the background. 

At Metro Medical Jondy sat looking at the x-rays with Max beside her. "We still can't risk removing that implant at the moment. How are your seizures?" 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't had any for the last few months. I take it, I'm not cured of them though." 

"Afraid not. I'm working on it though." Jondy pointed to a second set of x-rays. "Now on this second matter, you're right. Your feline DNA is mending the damage your body suffered a year ago. But you still have a way to go." 

Max let out a pent up breath. "So children are still out. But not indefinitely." 

Jondy smiled at her sister. "Are you and Logan thinking about having kids?" 

"We discussed it." Max blushed. She quickly changed the subject. "How's Zane doing with Beverly?" 

Jondy glanced over her shoulder as she began collecting up the x-rays. She could see her brother through the office window. "Let's put it this way, I think we're going to have someone extra with us at Thanksgiving." 

Max turned to see what Jondy was talking about. She shook her head as she chuckled at the sight of Zane kissing the beautiful Doctor. "He certainly doesn't waste anytime, does he?" 

Jondy stuffed the x-rays into her purse. "Not our Zane. He sees what he wants and goes and gets it. It must be nice to be that confident about yourself." 

Max nodded in agreement. "I think Manticore gave that trait to the males and didn't have enough left over for the females." 

Jondy giggled and nudged her sister. "We manage though." She tapped on the window. "Zane, we've gotta go." She rolled her eyes when Zane, still kissing the Doctor, waved her away. "Now." 

The following morning Max headed back to Terminal City after seeing her siblings off. They had accomplished a lot that weekend between them. The children were back on their feet, almost fully recovered. The stolen news van was being used to block the transgenic seeking program in the hover drones. An escape route had been opened so that Max and the others could come and go as they pleased, without anyone knowing the Transgenics still walked outside the Terminal City fences. 

Work had already begun inside Terminal City to change it back into the fully functional city it had once been. For the first time in a while, Max was actually looking forward to the holidays. Life was looking pretty damn good. 

_The End_


	32. Flashbacks

**"Flashbacks"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Rebecka, Devon, Julia, Kera and Jondy's children however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

The implant in Max's head reactivates itself, causing her to have flashbacks and risking her life.

**Timeframe:**

Season one, after Freak Nation. Follow up story to Confusion

**Rating:**

PG - some graphical violence

* * *

Original Cindy whistled away to herself. Normal was in an usually good mood. Probably because Max's siblings were using Jam Pony to deliver packages to Logan. Life was good. Trudging up the front steps to Sandeman's house, she knocked on the door. 

The door was opened on her first knock by a rather worried looking Logan. "Hey Cindy. Come on in, but can you keep it down. Max is sleeping." 

Original Cindy frowned. "Max is sleeping? Is my girl alright?" It was rare that Max slept very much and almost never when she was with Logan. 

Logan shrugged. "I'm not sure. I thought Max was just having a headache, but then the seizures started and about half an hour ago, Jondy phoned me to say she was flying in." 

"Sister girl's not driving. She must be in a hurry to get here." Cindy glanced towards where she knew the bedroom was. "What does she know that we don't?" 

Logan ran his hand through his hair. "She said something about it being a twin thing." 

"Which means she knows something's wrong, but she's not sure what." Cindy had gotten to know the red headed X5 pretty well over the past year or so. 

Logan nodded. "That's what I pretty much figured." He noticed Cindy had a parcel with her. "Is that for me?" 

Original Cindy nodded and handed him the parcel. "Same instructions as the others. Not to be opened until Friday. I think this one came from Zane." 

Logan smiled in spite of his concern for Max's health. "I can't believe they all remembered my birthday." 

"So when did Max get here?" Original Cindy knew that Max was staying at Terminal City because Logan was so busy with the renovations to his Grandmother's house. At least that was one of the reasons. 

"Alec dropped her off last night just before the guards changed shifts." Logan poured Cindy a cup of coffee. "He said she'd been getting the headaches for the past couple of days. Max, of course said it was nothing. Then she crashed on the sofa and she's been sleeping ever since in between seizures." 

Original Cindy could see from Logan's expression that there was something else he wasn't telling her. "Why do I get the feeling you're missing out a couple of pages to this story, Boo?" 

Logan knew he couldn't hide anything from Max's best friend. "She keeps having these flashbacks. This morning she asked me to check on you, to make sure you weren't in shock from being held hostage by the Red soldiers yesterday." 

Original Cindy's eyes widened. "That happened nearly three years ago. Do you think it has something to do with the implant?" 

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. I'm hoping Jondy can tell us when she arrives." 

At that moment Jondy burst in the door with Alec right behind her. She was talking to someone on the cell phone as she walked. "Where are you?" She groaned at the answer. "God, too much information Zane. We'll meet you at the hospital." She quickly hugged Logan and Cindy while she talked on the phone. "No, the hospital at Terminal City isn't fully operational yet. At least not with what I'm going to need." She headed for the bedroom. "See you there." 

Original Cindy grabbed Alec's arm as he went to follow Jondy. "How did Sister girl get here so quickly? She only called Logan half an hour ago." 

"She called from the plane." Alec explained. "Then she by passed security and I picked her up from the airport." He walked into the bedroom where Jondy was checking the back of Max's neck. "What's wrong?" 

Jondy gently rolled Max back over. "So you went with Logan to his cousin's wedding last night. What was that like?" 

Max felt completely drained. "It wasn't what I expected. If I hadn't had to keep leaving to save Normal's sorry ass, I probably would have enjoyed myself more. It was still fun though." She looked over Jondy's shoulder and saw Alec. Her mind flashed back to the fight she and Ben had in the woods. "Ben?" She was getting so confused. She shook her head to try and clear her mind. "No, Ben's dead." She looked up at her sister. "What's happening to me." She started to shake as another seizure took over. 

Jondy cursed under her breath. "Max, I need you to calm down. I think the implant may have somehow been reactivated." The seizure wasn't easing up. "Logan, I need some help here." 

Logan crawled onto the bed and pulled Max into his arms and started to rock her. "Max, honey, you've got to try and relax. Jondy can't help you if you don't." Gradually he felt the seizure subside. He kissed Max's forehead before looking up at Jondy. "Now what?" 

Jondy stood up. "Now we all get into the car and head for the hospital. Zane and Beverly are waiting for us." 

Original Cindy moved aside so that Logan could carry Max out of the room. "So Boo, why is Max remembering things that happened two, three years ago?" 

Jondy pointed to the back of Alec's head and neck. "The implant is here, but when operational it clamps on and reaches all the way up the back of the brain. It's affecting the memory because the brain knows the implant shouldn't be there and is trying to reject it." 

"So, are you going to try and get it out?" Alec knew Jondy hadn't considered it safe enough to remove the implant previously. "I thought it was too risky." He opened the door for Logan. 

"We can't leave it in there any longer." Jondy followed Logan carrying Max to the car. "The implant needs to be disabled and programmed to retract so that it can be removed." 

Original Cindy didn't like the sound of that. "What happens if it stays in." 

"She'll die." Jondy hurried down the porch steps and helped Logan get Max into the car. There was no way she was going to stand back and watch her sister die. 

Zane was waiting around the back of the hospital for them, with a gurney. He looked on in shock as Logan lay Max on the gurney. "When the hell did this happen?" He held out a lab coat for Jondy to slip into. 

Jondy shrugged as she eased into the lab coat Zane was holding up. "Max has been getting headaches for a few days but it got really bad last night." 

Logan held onto Max's hand as Alec and Zane pushed the gurney into the hospital and down the corridor into an examination room where Beverly Shankar was waiting. 

"I managed to get the equipment you asked for." Beverly had never seen Max look so pale. "From what you told me about the implant Logan, I'm not sure how we're going to be able to remove it." 

"I don't know how it can still be working." Logan watched Jondy push a sonar graph machine closer. "Not after zapping so much voltage into Max's head the last time." 

Jondy switched on the sonar graph monitor and gently rolled a now unconscious Max on her side. Scanning the back of her sister's neck, she saw exactly what she had suspected on the monitor. "Shit." She looked over her shoulder at Alec. "What's happened at Terminal City in the past few days. Any extra machines working? More hover drones patrolling?" 

"No, if anything there's less hover drones in the area." Alec frowned. "Why? What are you thinking?" 

Beverly was horrified by what she saw on the monitor. "You're thinking some sort of signal reactivated this thing." 

Zane thought through the possibilities of what might have caused the implant to reactivate. "So you need the right frequency to get the implant to retrack." 

Logan could see Max getting more and more pale by the minute. "Why don't you try those machines you use to test people's hearing? Surely that should have a frequency on it that can reverse the implants process?" 

"Don't you have to know which frequency it was that jump started the implant in the first place?" Original Cindy was no expert, but she figured her comment made sense. 

At that moment Jondy's cell phone rang. Quickly answering the phone, she kept an eye on the monitor. "Hi Sebastian. What have you come up with?" As she spoke she noticed the implant make a small movement. "Sebastian, I'm going to have to call you back on a land line." She quickly switched her cell phone off. "Everybody with a cell phone switch it off now." 

Beverly had seen the implant move as well. "This can't be the first time any of you have used a cell phone near Max." 

Alec thought back three days previous. "No, but three days ago we had that machine Zane built working and it's the first time Max has been in Terminal City when it's been operating." 

Zane groaned. "It works on a high pitch frequency. So what now? We find a higher pitch to make it reverse?" 

Jondy quickly punched Sebastian's number into the phone on the examination room wall. "I don't know if we have time. Beverly, do you see the swelling around the implant?" 

Beverly nodded. "How did you stop it from working previously?" 

Logan shook his head. "I've already told you, I am not shooting that amount of voltage into Max's head again." He watched Jondy talking to Sebastian on the phone, filling him in. 

Alec had been listening into Jondy's phone conversation, using his genetically engineered hearing to hear Sebastian's side. They would have to get Logan out of the room if Jondy was going to help Max. He gestured to Original Cindy. "We've got to get Logan out of this room. Somehow I don't think telling him he's in the way is going to do it." 

Original Cindy nodded. "I got your back. Just agree with everything I say. With any luck Zane will back us up." She walked over to Logan. "Hey Logan, Alec heard somebody coming down the corridor. I'll go with Alec, if you go with Zane. Jondy and Doctor Shankar need to stay with Max." 

Logan hesitated for a moment, not wishing to leave Max. "You'll call me if anything changes, Jondy?" 

Jondy nodded as she put the phone down. "You know I will. Just keep everybody out of here for a while. We might have a way to get the implant out and Beverly and I don't need any interruptions. Plus, I'm going to have to cut Max's hair to get a clear path to the back of her neck." 

Zane chuckled. "You know she's gonna kick your ass for that, J." 

Jondy smiled at her brother. "I know, but with her hair this long, it's going to keep getting in the way even if I tie it up." 

Beverly whispered to Jondy. "Do you know what you're doing? Cause this is way out of my league." 

Jondy pulled a pair of scissors and a comb out of her purse. Carefully, she started to cut her sister's hair. "We're going to zap the implant with the paddles with enough voltage to get the implant to retract, instead of completely stopping it in it's tracks. Once we've done that, then we can remove it." 

Logan kissed Max's forehead. "I won't be far away Max. I love you." He stopped in front of Jondy. "I trust you with her life. I know you won't let her down." He hugged the woman that was like a sister to him before walking out the room with Zane. 

Original Cindy also hugged Jondy. "Tell my girl we'll be right back when she wakes up." She dragged Alec out of the room before he could say anything. 

Beverly took a deep breath. "Does their faith in you make this easier or harder for you?" She didn't know if she could cope if she were in Jondy's position. It was hard enough that she would be operating on her sister, but then she had the added pressure of Logan's faith that she would make Max better. 

"I'm going to put it out of my mind until my sister can get out of bed and kick my ass for cutting her hair." Jondy handed Beverly one of the paddles. "We have to place one on the forehead and I'll hold this one on the back of her neck where the implant is poking out." 

Beverly nodded. "Here we go. Clear." She got the impression Jondy had far too much medical knowledge for someone so young. "Did it work?" 

Jondy put the paddle aside and scanned Max's head and neck. "Yeah. We still have to get that thing out." 

Beverly administered a local anesthetic while Jondy connected Max up to a couple of monitors. "How did the implant get into Max's head in the first place? You don't all have one do you?" 

Jondy shook her head. "No, Max shoved the implant in her head to save Original Cindy. It's a long story." 

Beverly got a trolley of sterile instruments. "I've got time to listen." 

Zane leaned against the wall watching Logan pace. "Logan, she'll be fine. Max has got the two best Doctors working on her." 

Logan managed a weak smile. "Don't you think you're a bit bias, considering you're seeing one Doctor and the other's your sister." 

Zane chuckled. "Yeah, but you know I'm right." 

Logan nodded. "Yeah I know you're right. It's just the waiting that's driving me crazy. The longer we stay in this hospital, the more danger you guys are in." 

"Do you think we ought to call Rebecka?" Zane knew Max and Jondy's mother would want to be there. "I would have called her when Jondy first called me to meet her here, but I remember how she reacted when Jondy lost her sight." 

Logan had forgotten all about Rebecka. "Why don't we wait until we can get Max back to my place. I think we'll draw less attention that way." 

"I think Jondy will be relieved to hear that." Zane agreed with Logan's plan. "Rebecka visited Jondy in San Francisco when she was getting her eyesight back. She wouldn't let Jondy do anything for herself and Jondy ended up telling her to go back to Seattle." 

Logan felt sorry for Rebecka but could understand where Jondy was coming from. "I think Rebecka's trying to make up for all the time she was apart from Max and Jondy. Ever since Max found out that Rebecka tried to keep her when she was born, she's wanted to meet her. Jondy always had Devon's mother looking after her, so she didn't feel the same emptiness in her life that Max did. I guess Rebecka just needs a little time to understand that." 

Zane shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know if she ever will. Sometimes Rebecka makes Jondy feel claustrophobic. She's so clingy with Jondy, probably because Jondy was supposed to have died at birth. Jondy doesn't want Max to feel left out, especially considering Max was the one who wanted to find her Mom." 

"Hey!" Original Cindy came running down the corridor. "They got the implant out. We just have to wait for the swelling to go down and Max to wake up." 

"Thank God." Logan raced back to the examination room where Max was. He saw that Jondy was sitting on Alec's lap beside Max's bed, when he entered the room. "Is she going to be alright?" 

"We have to wait for Max to wake up and the swelling to go down before we can be sure." Jondy warned him. "Remember that implant rewired the neuro pathways. I'm putting a lot of faith in Manticore technology. Because of our souped up DNA, any damage should mend itself, but I don't know how long that's going to take." 

Logan understood. "Max is still alive thanks to you and Beverly." He looked around the room. "Where is Beverly?" 

"Doing her rounds." Alec offered. "I thought Zane was with you." 

Original Cindy chuckled. "He went to help the doctor with her rounds." She saw a small glass jar on the table next to the bed. "Damn. Is that the implant? That's what's been in my girl's head?" 

"Ugly, ain't it?" Alec couldn't believe Max had actually put that thing in her head. Friend or no friend, he couldn't say he'd do the same thing if he were in her position. 

Zane walked into the room before Cindy could respond. "Time to get this show on the road. The cops are doing a random transgenic check. What do we have to take with us, J?" 

Jondy stood and disconnected anything they didn't need to take with them. "Tell Beverly to send me the bill for all of this, Zane." 

"No problem." Zane gave Alec a gentle shove. "Come on, the sooner we get Maxie out of here, the sooner you can make out with Jondy on Logan's sofa." 

Alec grinned. "At last, something I want to do. I knew I'd get rewarded for doing good eventually." 

Jondy rolled her eyes. "I seem to be doing all the giving on this trip. Zane where did you park the van?" 

"Out the back where you came in." Zane fished his keys out of his pocket and handed them to his sister. 

"I'm going with Max." Logan handed Alec his car keys. "Can you bring my car?" 

"No problem." Alec helped Zane lift Max and the mattress she was sleeping on, into the van. Original Cindy climbed in after Jondy, both of them holding IV bags. Alec leaned into the van to give Jondy a quick kiss. "I'll go and get Rebecka and meet you all back at Sandeman's." 

Original Cindy grinned at Jondy as Logan climbed into the back of the van and shut the door. "You just draw them to you like moths to a flame, don't ya." 

Jondy smiled back at her friend. "It's not intentional. It can be a draw back more than a blessing a lot of the time." 

Zane drove as carefully as possible back to Sandeman's house. It had grown dark by this time, so it wasn't too hard to get Max moved into the house without being spotted. 

Alec arrived with Rebecka, ten minutes after they had settled a still unconscious Max into Logan's bed. Rebecka had been stunned when Alec turned up on her doorstep and told her what had happened. She couldn't contain her shock at the sight of her daughter looking so pale and fragile. "Is she going to be alright?" 

Logan looked up from where he was sitting beside the bed holding Max's hand. "We won't know until she wakes up." He was worried that it was taking so long for her to wake up. Logan brushed a stray curl off of Max's face. It was then he noticed Max wasn't breathing. "Jondy!" 

Jondy raced into the room as Logan called for her. "Rebecka, get out of the way." She pulled her mother off of her sister where she had flung herself and all but threw her across the room. Pulling the pillows out from under Max's head she started CPR. "Logan, a little help please." 

Logan quickly pulled himself together and breathed into Max's mouth while Jondy did chest compressions. Relief flooded over him when Max started breathing for herself. "Max, honey. We need you to open your eyes." Despite the panic Logan was sure Jondy felt, her voice was so calming. 

Max struggled to open her eyes. "Where am I?" She saw moments of her life flashing through the darkness. "What happened?" She finally managed to open her eyes to see Logan's concerned blue eyes looking back at her. 

"You're at Sandeman's." Logan wondered for a moment if the implant may have erased some of Max's memory. "Do you know what month it is?" 

Max frowned as she looked over at her sister, who was now sitting cross legged on the bed beside her. "It's November, isn't it?" She noticed a couple of the buttons on Jondy's shirt were undone. "Did I get you out of bed or something?" She knew her sister would have dropped everything to get to her, once she realized something was wrong. 

Jondy looked down at her shirt to see what Max was talking about. "Damn it, I knew I'd lost track of one of his hands." She realized as she did up the buttons that her bra had disappeared. "Alec, I seem to be missing a certain item of clothing. Do you happen to know where it is?" 

Alec poked his head around the doorway. "I have it right here. Did you want it back right now?" 

"I'll come and get it in a minute." Jondy turned her attention back to Max. "I just want to check a few things then I'll leave you alone." 

Max nodded, then winced as a sharp stabbing pain shot through her head. "I guess that implant's playing up again." 

"It was. Beverly and I took it out." Jondy held out her hand. "Squeeze my hand." She waited for Max to follow her instructions. "Now use your other hand." It appeared that Max's brain was still sending the right signals to her limbs. "Ok, tell me what your name is." 

"Max Guevara." Max felt fine except from the splitting headache. She knew her sister was just making absolutely sure everything was still working. 

Jondy asked a few more simple questions and made sure that Max could move the way she should be able to. "The headaches should stop once the swelling goes down and things might be a bit confusing. The implant clamped down on the part of your brain that stores your memories." She moved off of the bed. "You were getting flashbacks before we got you to the hospital. As you heal, you should get less flashbacks making it easier for you to figure out what's going on now and what happened a few years back." She moved towards the door allowing Rebecka to take her place beside Max. "Oh and by the way, I gave you a haircut." She left the room to let Original Cindy know that Max was awake. 

Max reached up to her head, amazed at how short her hair was. "God, she didn't leave much, did she?" She looked over at Logan. "Have you got a mirror?" 

Logan went and fetched the makeup mirror he had brought for Max, out of the bathroom. He smiled at the shocked look on Max's face when she saw her reflection. "I like it. I can see more of that sexy neck of yours." 

Alec snorted from the doorway. "Max could shave her head, paint herself red, white and blue and tattoo 'White Sux' on top of her head and you would still think she looked hot." 

Original Cindy heard the end of Alec's comment and smacked him around the back of the head. "Where's the wrong in that? Go help Jondy." 

Alec shrugged his shoulders and disappeared. Zane appeared seconds later. "So I see you're awake Maxie. You gave us all a scare. Why didn't you ring Jondy and tell her you were having problems?" 

"I didn't need to." Max mumbled. "She knew anyway. That's why she's here." 

Rebecka was slightly confused. She still didn't know very much about her daughters. The way Jondy had flung her aside so easily had scared the hell out of her. "If you didn't tell Jondy you were having problems, how did she know?" 

"It's a twin thing." Logan didn't really understand it himself. "Jondy got on a plane as soon as she realized the headaches she was getting had nothing to do with her." 

"The two of you were sharing a headache?" Rebecka had heard of twins sharing some sort of bond, but only when they were identical. "Do the two of you share everything you feel?" 

"No." Max was so tired of all the questions being thrown at her. "It's more of a freaky sixth sense we have." 

Jondy walked back in the room at that moment. "Max needs to get some rest, so everybody but Logan out." She saw that Rebecka was about to refuse to leave. "Look, I don't care if any of you want to stay or not. You can stay in the living room if you have to, but get out of this bedroom now." 

Original Cindy took Rebecka's arm and led her out of the room. "Come on. You can come back in when Max has had some rest. You don't want to mess with Jondy when she's in Doctor mode." 

As Jondy turned to leave the room, Max called her back. "Thanks for coming to the rescue. Again." Max reached up and touched her short hair. "If you ever decide to give up bartending and medicine, you could always become a hairdresser." 

Jondy chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind. Get some sleep, I'll be right outside if either of you need me." 

Logan looked up at Jondy. "Thanks Jondy. Will you be alright out there with that lot?" 

"Yeah. I'm going to get Zane to call the Terminal City clan and let them know what's going on." Jondy pushed her hair off of her face. "Original Cindy's looking after Rebecka, so I guess that just leaves me Alec." 

"I'm sure you can handle that." Logan grinned as Jondy shot him a mischievous smile and left the room. He turned his attention back to Max. "You know, you've gotta stop scaring the hell out me like that." 

Max rolled her eyes. "It's not as though I reactivated the implant on purpose. What did Beverly and Jondy do with the implant anyway?" 

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure, but I think they sent it to Sebastian." He gently stroked her forehead. "Get some sleep, you've been through a lot today." 

Max smiled up at Logan. "Only if you get some sleep as well." She moved over a little so that Logan could lay on the bed as well. 

Logan hesitated a moment before kicking off his shoes and carefully lowered himself onto the bed. Any worries about hurting Max by holding her, flew out of his head when she cuddled up to him and promptly fell asleep. There had been a moment or two that day when he had wondered if he would ever get to hold Max again, despite his faith in Jondy. Exhaustion finally took over as his eyelids grew heavy and he fell asleep. 

"Are they both asleep?" Original Cindy looked up from the card game she and Rebecka were playing. When Jondy nodded, she asked the question that had been running through her head earlier. "So how come Max stopped breathing?" 

Jondy sat down on Alec's lap and rested her legs on Zane's lap, who was sitting next to Alec on the sofa. "Her brain registered as it started healing, that something was missing so it instructed her body to start closing down. Because the implant rewires the neuro pathways it told the brain that it was normal for the implant to be there. The whole problem when the implant reactivated itself was that a part of the brain knew the implant shouldn't be there and was rejecting it." 

"So Max's brain was basically having an argument with itself trying to figure out if the implant should be there or not." Rebecka looked at the implant sitting in the jar on the coffee table. "I still can't believe that thing was in Max's head." 

Zane glanced up from the book he was reading. "I can't believe you dug that thing out of Maxie's head, J." 

"I had help doing that." Jondy pointed out. "Speaking of which, why are you here when you could be making out with the good Doctor in the supply closet." 

Zane chuckled. "Beverly told me I couldn't come back to the hospital until after her shift. She says I'm too distracting." 

Alec pushed Jondy's hair over her shoulder so that he had access to her neck. "You must get that from your sister." He proceeded to nibble his way up her neck. 

"Oh man." Zane teased. "Get a room. I'd like at least one sister's sex life to remain a mystery to me." 

"This, from the brother who was telling me over the phone exactly what he was doing in the supply closet with Doctor Shankar." Jondy teased back. 

The three X5's attention turned suddenly to the front door. Original Cindy noticed the friction in the air. "What's up?" 

"Asha's just arrived." Zane looked over his shoulder at Alec. "Is that a problem?" He knew his sister well enough to know Asha appearing in Alec's presence had to bring up a few questions in her head. As usual his sister's expression told him nothing. 

"No, it's not a problem." Alec's arms tightened around Jondy. He could only guess what was going through her head. "If she's here, it's not to see me and I don't think Max is up to kicking her ass. I don't know why she keeps coming back here, especially after I told her that Logan always had Jondy and Syl if he didn't have Max." 

A mischievous smile crossed Jondy's face. "Alec, take off your shirt. You too Zane. We're going to stop Asha hitting on Logan for once and for all." 

The two men did what they were told despite being completely confused as to what Jondy had in mind. As they heard footsteps on the front porch, Jondy tossed Zane's shirt to Original Cindy and ushered Zane, Alec and Rebecka out of sight. Quickly pulling on Alec's shirt, Jondy removed her jeans and boots and tossed them across the room. Original Cindy followed the redhead's lead, she had a pretty good idea what Jondy was up to. 

Asha knocked on the door. She was pretty sure that Max wasn't there, as there was no sign of the X5's motorcycle. She had pretty much ruled out turning up for Logan's birthday. Max and her test tube family were definitely going to be here on Friday. The smile on Asha's face froze when Original Cindy answered the door wearing , as far as she could tell only a man's shirt. 

"What's up Sugar." Original Cindy struggled not to laugh at the shocked expression on Asha's face. "Can you keep it down. We sort of wore Logan out. He trying to get some well earnt sleep." 

Asha was confused. "I thought you were gay and what do you mean we?" At that moment Jondy walked into her line of vision. "Oh, that's what you meant by we." Alec's words came rushing back to her. She had thought he had just said them in anger, but now it seemed he had known what was going on behind closed doors. 

Original Cindy draped her arm around Jondy's shoulders. "What can I say? The boy's so hot, he converted me." 

Logan stumbled out of his bedroom, having heard the knock on the door. His glasses were still on the bedside table so his vision wasn't so hot at that moment. "J, who's at the door?" He knew Jondy wouldn't mind him using the nickname her brothers used for her. 

"Asha." Jondy had stayed with Logan and Max often enough to know Logan's brain would still be half asleep, so he wouldn't register what was going on for a couple of hours. He wasn't a morning person. "I think she's here to wish you an early Happy Birthday." 

Logan had, at some point during the night removed his shirt which made Jondy and Original Cindy's act appear to be true. "Oh, that's nice. Can you come back some other time though. I had a busy night, so I'm not really up for company." He turned and walked back to bed knowing Jondy and Original Cindy would see to Asha. On the way he nearly tripped over Jondy's jeans. "J, your jeans are on the floor." He was slightly confused as to why Jondy's jeans would be on the floor, but he was too tired to think about it. Folding the article of clothing, he placed it on the arm of the sofa. He waved good night to Zane, Alec and Rebecka as he walked back into the bedroom. 

Original Cindy could hear Zane and Alec struggling not to laugh. "You know I could do with some sleep myself." She faked a yawn. "Was there anything else you wanted." 

Asha was so stunned that all she could do was shake her head. She stood on the porch in shock for a further ten minutes after Jondy had shut the door on her. Logan hadn't struck her as the kind of guy that was into threesomes. Finally she turned and went home. 

It was lunchtime before Logan crawled out of bed. Original Cindy handed him a cup of coffee. "So what's going on?" He could see that Zane was missing and Alec and Jondy looked as though they were joined at the lips. "How long have they been like that?" 

Original Cindy checked the stop watch that Rebecka was holding. "Two hours and ten minutes." She sat down beside Alec and Jondy. "Zane went to meet up with Doctor Shankar after she finished work. Alec was telling Rebecka how he was trained to hold his breath and other fun tricks he learnt at Manticore. Rebecka didn't believe him so he decided to prove it." 

Logan frowned. "I thought the breath holding thing was only for four minutes. Besides, they're cheating. They're breathing through their noses." It was then Logan recalled Asha being there. "What was going on with Asha this morning?" It was all coming back to him, including the state of undress Jondy and Cindy had been in. "Why do I get the feeling Asha now thinks I'm into something kinky?" 

Alec finally came up for air. "She thinks you were having a threesome with Jondy and Cindy. I don't think she holds you in such high esteem." 

"Good." Max walked rather shakily out of the bedroom. "That means she won't be hitting on Logan anymore." She sat down on the arm of the sofa next to where her sister was perched on Alec's lap. "I thought I'd already scared her off already. What did you do Jondy? Open the door wearing no clothes?" 

"No, I was wearing Alec's shirt." Jondy grinned at her sister. "Original Cindy was wearing Zane's shirt. Logan was half asleep so he didn't realize everything he was saying was backing up our story." 

Max giggled. She could just picture Asha's face. "Where were Zane, Alec and Rebecka while all of this was happening?" 

"We hid out of sight." Rebecka stretched her cramped limbs. "Although Alec and Zane nearly gave us away trying not to laugh." 

"Ah come on." Alec protested. "You have to admit, Original Cindy claiming Logan was such a God in bed that he had turned her straight was funny." 

"I never mentioned the word God." Original Cindy was trying not to laugh herself. "Although I have heard Max call him that." 

Logan took the good natured ribbing as it was meant. "I was wondering what Jondy's jeans were doing on the floor. I just thought you and Alec had decided to rip each others clothes off." 

"Maybe later." Jondy shifted so that she was facing Max. "How are you feeling this morning?" She glanced at her watch. "I mean this afternoon." 

Max shrugged her shoulders. "Everything's still a bit confusing, but my headache's almost gone. You cured the retro virus right Jondy?" She breathed a sigh of relief when her sister nodded. "Good. That means I wasn't remembering a dream I had. How long are you going to stay in Seattle?" 

"I'll stay a couple more days to make sure you're alright." Jondy missed her children and was eager to get back to San Francisco. "I'll be back for Thanksgiving with the family." 

"Max will be alright though?" Rebecka thought that Max still looked too pale to be left without medical supervision. 

"From what I can tell." Jondy tried to stop the smirk from crossing her face. "As long as you don't overly exert yourself for a couple of days, Max. You should be fine." 

Alec cracked up laughing. "You expect Max and Logan to keep their hands off each other for a couple of days. What are you going to do, tie them both up?" 

Original Cindy joined in Alec's laughter. "No, that's what Max was going to do for Logan's birthday." 

"Very funny." Logan was trying not to laugh himself. "I think we can control ourselves. Besides, I can always go and take a cold shower." 

"That may not be necessary." Jondy nudged her sister. "Come on, let's go and change the dressing on your neck. "Then I really have to call my kids." 

"Well, I'd better get to back to work before Normal fires me again." Original Cindy picked up her back pack. 

"What'll that be? The third time he's fired you this week." Alec asked. 

"Something like that." Original Cindy chuckled. "See ya later." 

Alec could see by Logan's expression that he needed to talk to somebody and Alec wasn't very good at heart to heart talks. "Hey Rebecka. How about I drive you home. You can catch up on some sleep and I can bring you back here later." 

Rebecka didn't really want to leave, but there was nothing she could do to help. "Alright, I'd appreciate that." 

Alec picked up Logan's car keys from the coffee table where he had left them. "Ok if I borrow your car?" He waited for Logan to nod before heading out the door with Rebecka behind him. 

Jondy watched Logan from the bedroom doorway for a moment before approaching him. "Max is asleep. The more rest she gets the better. If you're good, I'll let her seduce you for your birthday." 

Logan laughed at her joke. "Max is going to be alright though. You're not just trying to stop me from worrying?" 

Jondy sat down opposite Logan. "You've known me long enough to know I wouldn't lie to you. Now why don't you tell me what's really going through that head of yours." 

Logan realized that he should have known Jondy would see right through him. "I had this big plan of asking your sister to marry me at Thanksgiving. Then she got sick and I thought I might lose her and I'm even more sure that I want to marry her. The problem is ....." 

"You're scared she'll say no because her memory is a bit jumbled at the moment." Jondy finished for him. "You're also scared that Max won't want to burden you with the dramas that would come with being married to an X5." 

"Yeah." Logan know Jondy would understand. It just felt good being able to talk to someone. "It's never mattered to me who or what Max is. I love her for the person she is. I always have." 

"Then what's stopping you?" Jondy promptly carefully. "You've faced huge obstacles before and still come through them together." 

"What if she says no?" Logan was terrified that was exactly what Max would say. 

"Is what you have at the moment so bad that should Max say no, you can't continue as you are and ask her again sometime in the future?" Jondy knew that Logan already had the rings. They had been left to him by his Grandmother. 

"No." Logan could see Jondy's point. "So you're saying even if Max says no, she may say yes later." 

Jondy nodded. "And you're asking my permission so that you can ask Max to marry you." 

Logan chuckled. "Am I that transparent?" Being an only child, Logan was always appreciative of the sisterly approach Jondy took with him. 

"Sometimes. You never hide your feelings for Max though." Jondy beamed at the man who was as close to her as her brothers were. "You know you don't need my permission to marry Max. You just need hers. I wouldn't propose over thanksgiving dinner though." 

Logan laughed at her frankness. "So no stuffing the ring in the turkey. There goes that idea. You're probably right. Joshua would probably end up eating the ring before Max found it." 

Jondy joined in his laughter. "Oh God. I can just picture that happening." She turned serious. "Look, as soon as Alec gets back, we'll go out somewhere and give you and Max some time alone. I'm sure she's going to be fine, I'm just staying around for a couple of days as a precaution." 

"Thanks." Logan wasn't bothered by Jondy's presence, in fact most of the time she was so quiet that he forgot she was there. It was just that he had come to cherish the time he got to spend alone with Max. 

"No problem."' Jondy watched Logan head into the bedroom as she dialed her home number on her cell phone. It looked as though Thanksgiving was going to be real interesting this year. 

_The End_


	33. Thanksgiving

**"Thanksgiving"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Julia, Kera, Jondy's children, Rebecka and Devon however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

Logan's plans for a special Thanksgiving go slightly astray when Max misunderstands his intentions.

**Timeframe:**

Follow up story to Flashbacks. After Freak Nation

**Rating:**

PG

**Category:**

Drama, Romance

* * *

Logan looked down at the ring nestled in the small box. It's meaning was more than just a promise of eternal love. It had come to signify hope for a better future. At least it did to him. He just hoped Max would feel the same. Logan couldn't believe his luck when it came to getting the ring sized, that Jondy wore the same ring size as Max. He had simply borrowed his future sister-in-law's ring and had his mother's engagement ring sized to match. He had everything worked out to the last detail, all except Max's answer when he proposed. 

Max sat on top of the space needle contemplating the drama her life had become. At least with the implant having been removed, she had one less problem. She couldn't figure out why Logan was acting so nervous. At first she thought Logan was nervous about cooking Thanksgiving dinner at Terminal City. After doing a test run using what used to be a bakery at Terminal City, she thought he would be fine. Instead, it seemed the closer it got to Thanksgiving, the more nervous Logan got. She heard a movement behind her. "I came up here to be alone" 

Alec sat down beside Max. "Haven't you heard? Misery loves company. Besides Joshua was wondering why you've been sulking all week." 

"I'm not sulking and I'm not miserable." Max snapped. "Can't you go and make a dirty phone call to Jondy?" 

"No, not while the children are in the house." Alec refused to get into an argument with Max. "Besides I've already done that today. I just waited for the girls to go to school." 

"I really didn't need to know that." Max rolled her eyes. "Have you thought about moving to San Francisco?" 

Alec shook his head. "Not at the moment. I'm trying to give the girl's time to get used to me being the man in their mother's life. I don't want them to feel as though I'm trying to replace Devon. That's why I'm keeping my visits to the occasional weekend." 

"That's probably smart." Max admitted. "Are you ever gong to let my sister make an honest man of you?" She couldn't quite picture Alec and Jondy married, but stranger things had happened. 

"You mean marriage?" Alec shook his head. "Not at the moment. I think we have a way to go before we get to that point. I don't think your sister can see herself in the white wedding dress just yet either." 

Max figured her sister was probably too busy to be thinking about marriage. She touched the back of her neck where Jondy had removed the implant. She couldn't remember when her hair had last been this short. "I guess we'd better head back." 

Alec nodded. "Yeah. Are you staying at Logan's tonight?" He was starting to wonder if Max and Logan had, had a fight. 

"Nah, I figure I should spend some time at Terminal City." Max wanted to try and make some sense of Logan's strange behavior. She needed a bit of time and space. "I don't want the Terminal City crew to resent me running around outside the city fences, when a lot of them can't without ending up in a cage." 

"Fair enough." Alec knew better than to push when Max was in one of her moods. "Can you give me a lift, since we're both going the same way." 

"Whatever." Max stood and headed down the space needle to where she had left her motorcycle. 

Krit loaded the last of his and Syl's bags in the van as well as three fully stocked chilly bins. "So what did your boss say when you asked for Thanksgiving off?" 

"The same thing he says when I won't work on my days off cause I have to travel from Las Vegas to New York. Nothing." Syl climbed into the front passenger seat. "So did you find out why Max was in such a bad mood?" 

Krit shook his head as he climbed into the driver's seat. "No. Jondy probably knows though. At least Maxie has that damn implant out of her head." 

"Maybe that has something to do with her mood." Syl suggested. "Who knows what damage that implant did while it was in her head." 

"We can always asked Jondy when we get to Seattle." Krit pointed out. "I'm not to eager to have my head bitten off by Max if I ask her." 

"Let's get started." Syl pulled her seat belt on. "I have been looking forward to this ever since Logan suggested it. With White in jail, we can have a nice safe family get together." 

Charlie helped his son put his jacket on. "You excited Case?" He knew his son was looking forward to seeing his cousins. It wasn't his wife's family he was worried about. Apart from Joshua, whom he had only seen from a distance, he hadn't come across any of the less human looking Transgenics. 

"Yeah." Case reached out his hand to his mother. "I get to see all my cousins, don't I?" 

Tinga smiled at her son. "You sure do. You haven't met Aunty Jace's little girl yet. It'll be the first time for all of us. I haven't met her either." 

"Are you sure it's safe enough for you all to be in Seattle at the same time." Charlie asked. "Especially with all of the children." 

Tinga nodded. "Jondy wouldn't risk taking her children anywhere she couldn't be sure of. I checked with her yesterday. She said Logan was planning to spend the weekend with Max at Terminal City, so we can stay in the house he's using at the moment." 

Charlie frowned. "What happened to the penthouse apartment he owned?" The last time they had stayed in Seattle, they had stayed in a mansion. 

"I'm not sure." Tinga checked to make sure she hadn't forgotten to put anything in the car. "But Logan was turning the mansion into a recreation center, so there are builders working on it. The renovations won't be finished until the end of January." 

"Well I guess we'd better get going then." Charlie made sure the door was locked behind them. At the very least this was going to be an interesting thanksgiving. 

Zane dialed Jondy's cell phone number as soon as he got through the check point. Using the hands free on his own cell phone so that he could keep driving, he grinned when his sister answered on the first ring. "Hey J. So what's going on in Seattle?" 

"What do you mean?" Jondy was also using the hands free on her cell phone, as she was trying to keep fourteen children entertained on their trip to Seattle. 

"I phoned Max this morning and she is in a foul mood." Zane stroked his dog's head. "Then I called Logan and he sounded kind of nervous. So what's going on?" 

Jondy chuckled to herself. "Max is moody because Logan is nervous and he won't tell her why. Although my bet is she hasn't actually asked him why." 

"But you know why." Zane guessed. "So why don't you fill me in." He knew that Logan confided in Jondy and she and Max seemed to share some sort of brain wave between them. 

"Hold on a minute Zane." Jondy signaled Kera to pull the van over to the side of the road so that she could get out. She didn't want any of the children tipping off Max to Logan's proposal. "Listen Zane, I'll tell you what's going on but you can't tell anyone else and that includes Beverly." 

"Fine. It will be our little secret." Zane wondered what the hell was going on. Jondy and Max usually didn't keep secrets from each other or rather couldn't keep secrets from each other. 

"Logan is nervous because he is going to ask Max to marry him. His Grandmother left his mother's rings for him when she died." Jondy was trying to keep warm by pacing back and forth while keeping out of earshot of her children. "He got them resized, he's just waiting for the perfect moment but he also wanted Max to have her family close by to celebrate." 

"That's thoughtful of him." Zane was happy for his sister. Logan was a good person and he treated Max well. He couldn't wish for better for any of his sisters. "Logan had better calm down before Max's mood gets any worse or this will be an unforgettable thanksgiving and not in a good way." 

"I'll speak to Logan when we get to Seattle." Jondy headed back towards the van. "Drive carefully Big Brother." Jondy hung up her phone and climbed into the van. 

Max's mood brightened slightly when Jace arrived with her husband and daughter. "Hi. I'm glad you could make it." 

Jace looked at the scenery around her. "Love what you've done with the place." She had passed Terminal City a couple of times when she was last in Seattle. It had looked a damn sight worse than what she saw before her now. "How's Logan?" Jace saw her sister's mood change before her eyes. 

Max rolled her eyes. "He's nervous. I thought it was because he's cooking dinner for so many people, but we did a test run the other day and it went fine. He's still acting strange though." 

"Maybe he's going to propose." Victor, Jace's husband offered. "I know I was a nervous wreak when I was planning to ask Jace to marry me. You remember how you thought I was acting real strange at the time, honey?" 

Jace nodded. "You've gotta remember Max, Victor didn't have Jondy and Zane as support. Did you think about asking either of them why Logan's so nervous." 

Max shook her head. "I'm sure Logan's not going to propose. I mean we've talked about kids, but marriage just isn't an option at the moment." Besides, she was starting to resent how much Logan confided in Jondy. 

"Why? What's the problem?" Jace had seen Max and Logan together. She had never seen two people who were so meant for each other. 

Max picked up Jace's little girl. "Well for starters Logan's going to be high profile when the recreation center is open and everyone outside of this fence wants to put my ass in a cage." 

Joshua walked up to the tiny group, and hugged Jace. "You brought little Max with you this time." He patted the little girl in Max's arms on the head. "Are you Victor?" He held his hand out to Victor. 

Victor had heard that there had been creatures like this beneath Manticore, but until now he had never seen one. Jace had told him about Joshua when she had returned from a family camping trip. "Yeah. You must be Joshua. It's good to meet you." 

"Let's get you settled in." Max quickly changed the subject, besides she was sure Logan wasn't going to propose. "You'll be staying with Original Cindy. She's around here somewhere." 

Logan heard Jondy's van pull up outside. He had expected them to go straight to Terminal City. "Hey, what are you doing here?" He hugged the petite redhead when she got to the top step of the porch. 

"I needed to have a word with you before I got to Terminal City." Jondy had told everyone to stay in the van. "You have got to calm down and stop being so nervous about asking Max to marry you." 

Logan wondered how Jondy could have known he was nervous. "I'm fine. I have nothing to nervous about. Everything is organized." Everything but Max's answer. 

Jondy smiled at Logan. "You are the worse liar. I'll see you over at Terminal City." She turned and headed back to the van. 

Logan pulled the ring box out of his pocket. He knew Jondy was right. If he kept making himself nervous over Max's answer, she would just get mad with him and automatically say no. "Serves me right for falling in love with a strong willed woman." Logan muttered to himself. 

Rebecka couldn't believe how comfortable she felt around the Terminal City people. It had even got to the point that she didn't really notice there was a difference between the humans and the transgenics. She noticed Alec was watching the entrance. "What time is Jondy due?" 

Alec grinned at his girlfriend's mother. "She called a couple of minutes ago from up the road. She should be here any second." He had been to San Francisco the previous weekend, but he couldn't believe how much he missed the redhead. 

At that moment the entrance gate opened and Jondy's van drove in. Once the vehicle had come to a stop, the children seem to explode out of it. Even though the twelve girls were adopted, they seemed to have taken on Jondy's intolerance for being cooped up in a confined space for too long. 

"Before you all run off, everybody has to help unpack the van." Jondy gently commanded, as she unstrapped the twins from their car seats. She beamed at Alec as he took one of the twins off of her and kissed her hello. "Hi. Who else had arrived?" 

"Jace arrived about half an hour ago with her husband and daughter. Everybody else is still on the road as far as I know." Alec started to usher the girls in the direction they would be staying in. 

Rebecka held her arms out for the twin that Alec was holding. "I'll take Ben. You look as though you're going to have your hands full with the girls." 

"Thanks." Alec passed the toddler over to Rebecka, then grabbed the chilly bin. "This way ladies. I'll show you where you're staying." 

Jondy watched as her daughters followed Alec, their arms full with the contents of the van. Julia and Kera followed as well just incase the children gave the X5 any trouble. "Afternoon Joshua." Jondy smiled as she sensed her friend sneaking up behind her. 

"Not fair." Joshua jokingly protested. "You used your cat sense." He hugged his friend and took the baby girl off of her into his arms. The little girl shrieked in delight and started to play with Joshua's long hair. "Where are the rest of the children?" 

"Alec's showing them around." Jondy looked on in amusement at the antics of her infant daughter. "I think he's worried they'll think he's trying to take Devon's place." 

Rebecka chuckled as Ben wriggled in her arms, trying to get back to his mother. "I don't think Alec needs to worry. The children seem happy as long as you are Jondy." She handed Ben back to Jondy. 

Jace and her family walked towards Jondy with Max walking behind. "God Jondy. What are you feeding your kids? They've grown so much since I last saw them." She hugged her sister. 

"I think the twins take after their father in that way." Jondy laughed as she shook hands with Jace's husband. "You must be Victor." 

Victor nodded. "Nice to meet you. I thought Jace said you had fourteen children." 

Jondy nodded. "I do. The other twelve are with Alec." She turned her attention to the little girl in Jace's arms. "This must be Maxie. Jace, she's beautiful." 

Jace giggled. "We sure do make good looking babies don't we." 

Max felt a twinge of jealousy. At that moment Jondy seemed to have it all, the children, the adoring boyfriend and a home of her own. Not to mention a calming influence on Logan. She realized her sister had picked up only her emotions when she looked up and saw Jondy watching her. "I'm going to check on the bakery. Mole was doing some alterations in there yesterday." 

"Hey Max." Zane walked up to the group with his dog beside him. "Where's the fire?" He hugged his sister and immediately noticed how up tight she was. "What's wrong?" He whispered. 

"Nothing. I'm just busy." Max forced a smile onto her face. "I'll catch up with you later. Gotta go." She hurried off before Zane could ask anymore questions. 

Zane hugged Jace and shook hands with her husband. He slapped Joshua on the back. "Good to see ya again Joshua." He hugged Jondy, careful of the child in her arms. "Wow, Krit was right about Max's mood. I called him when I got into Seattle. He and Syl aren't too far away. Logan had better hurry up and propose. Maybe that will put a real smile on Max's face." 

"I don't think it's going to be that easy." Jondy was staring in the direction that Max had gone. "When will Beverly be here?" 

"When she's finished her shift at the hospital." Zane kissed his sister's forehead. "Spill it Sis. You're picking up something on your twin radar. What is it?" 

"Twin Radar?" Victor hadn't been sure what he was going to encounter at Terminal City, but normal sibling problems wasn't it. 

"Max and Jondy are twins." Joshua explained. "So what are you picking up Jondy?" 

"Jealousy." Jondy simply stated. She decided it would be best to change the subject. "Are we going to have enough food to feed everyone?" 

"We will once Krit, Syl and Tinga get here." Logan had arrived a few minutes ago. "Anyone seen Max?" 

"She said she was going to check the bakery." Rebecka offered. "Are you really going to ask Max to marry you?" 

Logan's jaw dropped as he glanced at Jondy. It was supposed to be a surprise. When Jondy shook her head and pointed to Zane, he began to wonder if Max knew about his plans. "Max doesn't know does she?" 

Victor looked a bit sheepish. "We sort of suggested to Max when we arrived that, that could be the reason you had been so nervous." 

Jace quickly added. "But Max seemed pretty sure there was no way you were going to propose. I'm pretty certain it will still be a surprise." 

Logan had to laugh. "You know this all went a lot smoother in my head." He had the ring in his pocket just in case. "I'll go see if I can find Max." He waved to Krit and Syl as he passed them to look for Max. 

"Please tell me we didn't negotiate our way passed sector check points just to have Max snap at us every five minutes." Syl asked as she hugged her siblings, Victor and Rebecka. 

"No. You came here to enjoy Logan's great cooking with your family." Jondy joked. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'd better go and rescue Alec from my girls." 

"I'll go with you." Joshua followed Jondy still carrying little Tinga. 

Krit had his arm around Syl. "So what's the drill? Do we stay clear of Max and hope that Logan can pull her out of this mood she's in or do we send Jondy in to try and calm her down." 

"I don't think that Jondy can fix the problem this time." Zane chipped in. "I guess we just wait for Tinga and her family to arrive and take it from there." 

Logan could feel Max's tension as soon as he walked into the bakery. "So is everything still working in here?" Concern replaced the nervousness when Max nodded wordlessly. "We're just waiting for Tinga, Charlie and Case to arrive with the last of the food." When Max still didn't speak, Logan moved so that he was leaning against the bench right next to Max. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong?" 

"If you tell me what's wrong with you." Max shot back. "And while you're at it, you could explain why you can talk to Jondy about it and not me." Even as the words spilled out of her mouth, Max knew they weren't fair. 

"You're jealous of Jondy?" Logan almost burst out laughing, the idea was so absurd. "Max, when I look at Jondy I see the little sister I never had. The reason I have been so nervous is because I want to ask you to marry me and I wanted it to be perfect when I asked you. As for talking through my nervousness with Jondy," Logan pulled the box with the engagement ring out of his pocket. "How else was I supposed to get this to fit so that I could surprise you." 

Max's jaw dropped at the sight of the emerald surrounded by tiny diamonds. "Oh." She felt like such a food for being jealous of her sister. When she looked up at Logan, she caught sight of Alec standing in the doorway. "How long have you been there?" 

Alec wondered how Max and Logan's relationship survived with so many misunderstandings. "Well, Jondy and I came to tell you that Tinga had arrived and the others are unloading her car. We arrived just as you demanded to know what was going on between Logan and Jondy. It wasn't long after that, that Jondy stormed off. I guess it's not everyday your twin accuses you of making a play for her boyfriend." 

"I never actually said any of that." Max protested, but she had thought it. Of all her sisters, Max knew Jondy was the one she could trust without question. "I guess I did sort of imply that though." 

"Well proposing to you in a bakery wasn't what I had planned." Logan interrupted before Alec could lose his temper that he was obviously struggling to keep under control. "So don't give me an answer now. I'll start dinner while you go and talk to your sister." 

"Thanks." Max gave Logan a quick kiss before going in search of Jondy. Despite her unfair rant, Logan was still giving her the time and space she needed. How could she have been so wrong where Logan and Jondy were concerned. 

It wasn't hard to figure out where Jondy had gone. It was the same place Max went when she was upset or just needed to think things through. Max hesitated before approaching her sister on the space needle. She wasn't sure if she could make things right this time. 

"So did he propose?" Jondy sat staring into the darkness, her red hair floating in the breeze like long fingers reaching out behind her. 

Max took a deep breath and moved to sit by her sister. "Yeah, but he didn't want an answer straight away. Something to do with not having proposed the way he wanted to." It was obvious that Jondy was furious with her as she hadn't moved since Max had arrived. Jondy's anger was always deadly silent. 

"Smart man." Jondy replied. 

"Yeah. Logan is smart." Max looked down at her hands clasped around her knees. "Jace and Victor guessed that was why Logan was so nervous, but I told them there was no way he would propose. I guess I could have saved everybody a lot of trouble if I had just asked Logan what was wrong." 

"Gee, there's an idea." Jondy's voice was icy with sarcasm. "What made you think snapping everybody's head off was a better option?" 

Max felt terrible. "Jondy, I'm sorry." She wished she could turn back time and change her actions of the past few days. "I know Logan looks on you as a sister. I realized as soon as the words left my mouth that they weren't fair." 

Jondy pushed a stray curl off of her face. "You know, I got used to people hating me for the attention I kept attracting. It never really mattered cause they didn't know that I'd sooner sink unnoticed into the background." She finally looked at Max. "But you did know. So how could you think for a minute that I'd throw myself at your boyfriend? Why would you think that I'd do that to Alec, especially after Asha did that to him." 

"I never thought about Alec." Max admitted. "I didn't think at all. I got jealous because I saw that you had everything you ever wanted out of life, plus you got on really well with my boyfriend. Logan knows he can talk to you about anything." 

"That's because he doesn't love me." Jondy didn't know how much longer she could hold onto her temper. "Just for the record, I don't have everything I ever wanted out of life. I don't have my freedom. I still have to constantly look over my shoulder to avoid being put in a cage. The South Africans are still looking for me. Granted I don't have the same problems as you Max, but I still have problems." Seeing the tears falling down her sister's face, Jondy let go of some of her anger. "The only thing stopping you from having everything you want Max, is you." She put her arm around her sister's shoulders. "You have to stop running, especially from Logan and you have to trust him. He's sort of unique, unlike your previous boyfriends." 

Max wiped the tears from her face. "You make it sound so easy. I do trust Logan, I just don't know how we're supposed to make a marriage work when we're stuck on opposite sides of a fence." 

"We'll work something out." Jondy rested her chin on Max's shoulder. "So are you going to tell Logan you'll marry him? Cause you know, I can never have enough brothers." 

Max glanced at her sister and laughed. "Yeah, but don't expect a quick wedding cause we have a lot to work out first." Only Jondy could have her crying one minute and laughing the next. "So are you still mad at me?" 

"Yeah, but I'll get over it." Jondy looked at her watch. "We'd better get back. Beverly and the Jam Pony crew will have arrived at Terminal City by now." 

Max rolled her eyes. "Logan gets crabby if dinner gets cold because I've made him wait. So what are you doing for Christmas?" 

Jondy shook her head in disbelief. "Let's try and make it through Thanksgiving without killing each other first, then we can discuss Christmas." 

Original Cindy helped Logan transfer the various items of food onto serving platters. "So my Boo basically accused Sister Girl of banging the gong with you and you ain't mad. Can I ask why?" 

"It's gonna sound stupid." Logan could see by the expression on Original Cindy's face that she wasn't going to let the subject drop. "Fine. I'll tell you but you can't laugh." 

"Cross my heart." Original Cindy crossed the air in front of her heart with her hand. "Now spill. Why ain't you mad." 

Logan let out an exasperated sigh. "I know that Max loves me. It's just when I realized that she was jealous of my friendship with Jondy, it was as though I had solid proof that she loved me. I mean of all of her sisters, Max knows that Jondy is the least likely to try and break us up." 

Original Cindy rolled her eyes. "That's just whack. Now I really know you and Max should be together. I don't know why you both feel the need to have everything spelt out for you to satisfy your insecurities." 

"Because they've both had bad relationships in the past." Tinga stood in the doorway. "And they don't want to mess it up this time." She grinned. "I just guessing of course. Max and Jondy have just arrived back by the way." 

"What sort of moods are they in?" Logan didn't want a fight breaking out over dinner. "Are we going to have to sit Max and Jondy at opposite ends of the table?" 

Tinga held her hands out for a platter so that she could help carry the food out to the tables. "Max seems fine. I think Jondy's still a little pissed, but I don't think she'll let it spoil dinner." 

"Let's get this show on the road then." Original Cindy grabbed another platter. "I'm starving, besides I think you've outdone yourself this time Logan. This all looks great." She followed Tinga out the door. 

One by one the X5 siblings and the Jam Pony crew walked in to the bakery to collect platters of food and took them out to the dinning hall. 

The meal went smoothly much to Logan's relief. The closest anyone came to an argument was when Alec asked Mole to put his cigar out. Mole was about to refuse when he saw the expression on Jondy's face. After a moments consideration Mole decided it best not to anger the red head and put his cigar out. 

Logan nudged Max. "That's something I never thought I'd see. At least not from Alec." He gestured further down the table where Alec and Jondy were sat amongst her children with a twin on each of their laps. Because there weren't enough highchairs for all of the infants, Jondy and Alec were feeding the twins while seated on their laps. They looked like the picture book normal family. 

Max giggled as she saw Alec's hand disappeared underneath Jondy's shirt. "No, but that is exactly what I expect from Alec." 

As they watched, Jondy leaned forward and whispered something in Alec's ear. Chuckling to himself Alec withdrew his hand and continued to feed the child on his lap. It was amusing to watch Alec doing such a good job at playing Daddy. Until he had become involved with Jondy, Alec had been a womanising user who most of the time cared for nobody but himself. 

Tinga wiped Case's face which was now covered with food. "I don't know why Alec was so nervous. Jondy's children seem to adore him." 

Charlie nodded. "Still, it's not easy to become part of a ready made family, especially one with fourteen children." 

Case tugged on his mother's hand. "He makes Aunty Jondy laugh and smile. That's why they like him. Aunty Jondy's not sad anymore." 

Max and Logan heard the youngster comment and realised he was right. Jondy had kept her pain hidden well after Devon had died. If you looked close enough you could see the sorrow she kept carefully locked away. 

"You've got a smart boy there." Logan said to Tinga as he put his arm around Max. 

Tinga beamed proudly at her son. "Yeah, he sure is. He takes after his father." She kissed her husband over Case's head. 

Logan took hold of Max's hand. "You wanna go for a walk? I need to walk some of dinner off." 

"Sure. I could do with a little exercise?" Max pulled on her jacket. "Who's going to do all of these dishes." 

"The Thanksgiving elves will do the dishes." Logan had everything worked out and also he had Jondy as an accomplice. "Come on, it's a nice night. Don't worry about the dishes." 

Seeing Logan and Max head into the night, Jondy hustled her children together to start clearing the tables. Handing her twins over to Julia and Rebecka, she and Kera started helping her girls. "Alec, are you going to help?" Before Alec could refuse Jondy added. "I'll give you something to be really thankful for, once the children are asleep." 

Alec nuzzled his face in Jondy's soft hair. "Now how can I refuse an offer like that?" He gave Jondy a gentle pat on the rear and started to help clear the tables. 

Soon the rest of the X5 siblings joined in with the clean up. Jace stood beside Jondy washing dishes. "So why do I get the feeling you know where Logan took Max?" 

Jondy smiled as she saw the rest of her siblings had heard Jace's question and were now paying close attention to her. "When Logan first started making plans for the perfect way to propose, he said it was a pity that there weren't any rose gardens or botanical gardens that he could take Max to. I noticed last time I was in Terminal City that the soil on the south side seemed to have remained unharmed by the toxic waste dumped here. When I mentioned it to Logan, he decided to take a look." 

It was as if a light bulb suddenly went on inside Joshua's head as Jondy spoke. "That's why you wanted Alec and I to help Logan with the planting and not tell Max." 

Sketchy had been ordered by Original Cindy to go and help with the clean up. "Is that why Herbal and I have been delivering strange packages to Logan? I thought the dude had started smoking weed." 

"The packages had seedlings in them." Original Cindy smacked Sketchy around the back of the head. She had also helped with the planting when she wasn't keeping Max away from the gardens being constructed. 

"So how does the garden look?" Krit couldn't quite picture Logan as a gardener. 

"Why don't we go and take a look? I bet it's spectacular." Syl could only imagine what Logan had done. 

"Let's give them a few minutes before we take a look." Zane had a feeling Logan was about to propose properly and he didn't want to ruin the moment for his sister. 

"Well, I bet this garden has been made to a grand scale." Normal pointed out. "From what little I know about Logan, he never does anything by halves." 

"Not where Max is concerned." Herbal agreed. 

Max and Logan walked through the moonlit darkness in a comfortable silence, their arms around each other's waists. Max suddenly realised they were walking towards a part of Terminal City she hadn't been to. "Maybe we should walk somewhere else. I'm not sure what's around here and I don't want you to get sick." 

Logan kissed the top of her head. "It's alright. I've been here a lot lately. I won't get sick." 

Max looked up at Logan suspiciously. "What have you been up to?" Her face lit up in surprised delight as they rounded the corner and she saw for herself what Logan had done. "You did all this yourself?" 

Logan shook his head. "No I had a lot of help. Especially from Original Cindy. I told Jondy what I wanted and she found the spot last time she was in Seattle. The toughest part was stopping Joshua from digging holes where I didn't want them." 

Logan had thought of everything. So that there was a purpose to the garden other than just looking pretty, he had planted a large vegetable patch. Spaced eveningly across the section were four benches so that anyone could sit and read or just look at the beauty around them. Alec had found an old spa bath that had been thrown out due to the large crack in it and asked Logan if he could use it in the garden. Logan had covered the bath with black plastic and with Joshua and Alec's help, sunk the bath into the ground and now water lilies floated in the water it had been filled with. A small foot bridge had been built curved and placed over the top so that you could look down into the water. There were beds of every flower imaginable and every color, most of which were closed due to it being night. 

"I've got to come back here in the daylight. This is beautiful Logan. It must look absolutely gorgeous with all of the flowers in bloom." Max had never seen anything like it. 

Logan took the ring box out of his pocket and got down on one knee. "I wanted the perfect setting to ask you to do me the honor of becoming my wife. Max, will you marry me?" He opened the box and the ring sparkled in the moonlight. 

Max waited for the fear and the panic to set in, but it never came. Jondy had told her that they would work something out to solve any problems and her sister had never let her down so far. "Yes. I will marry you." 

Logan got to his feet, quickly placed the ring on Max's finger and kissed her. It was a while before he registered the cheering and clapping in the background. 

Both he and Max burst out laughing when they saw that they had an audience. "Well, I guess we don't have to tell the family." Max chuckled to herself. 

Zane leaned over Jondy's shoulder and whispered in her ear. "At least this Thanksgiving had a happy ending." 

Jondy nodded. "They're together. That's how it should be." 

_The End_


	34. Here We Go Again

**"Here We Go Again"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Julia, Kera, Devon, Jondy's children, Tek, Rebecka, Ewen and Corban however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

The South Africans kidnapped Logan in an elaborate scheme to get Jondy. The odds of the X5 not getting out of this trap are higher, when Max finds out Lydecker is behind the plan to catch Jondy.

**Timeframe:**

After Freak Nation, follow up story to Thanksgiving

**Rating:**

PG

**Category:**

Action/Adventure, Drama, Romance

* * *

Christmas was just around the corner. It was the first one spent in Terminal City for the Transgenics. Max sat in the South side garden that Logan had put together with a bit of help from their friends. All of the winter blooms were out, which helped brighten the dark dreary day. As Max pulled her coat closer around her, the engagement ring Logan had put on her finger sparkled at her. She still couldn't believe that she and Logan were engaged. 

"Penny for your thoughts Boo." Original Cindy sat down on the bench beside Max. She took hold of Max's hand. "That ring sure does sparkle pretty." 

Max beamed at her friend. "I still can't believe I'm engaged. It seems so normal and that's something I never thought I'd ever get to be." 

"You excited?" Original Cindy had never seen her friend so happy. "Hell, have two even set a date? Cause I gotta tell ya, I ain't wearing no lavender bridesmaids dress." 

Max laughed at her friend. "Yes, I'm excited. No, we haven't set a date and you have to be my maid of honor, not just a bridesmaid. And you're right, I don't see you in lavender anymore than I can see Jondy in pink." 

"Speaking of sister girl," Original Cindy recalled how tense things had been between the Manticore twins at Thanksgiving. "Have you spoken to Jondy lately?" 

"Yeah." Max's mood dimmed slightly. "Alec headed to San Francisco this morning. I think Jondy's still a little mad with me. I guess I'm hoping Alec can change that." 

Original Cindy could hear the hesitation in her friends voice. "What? You don't think Alec can help? Jondy can't still be that mad?" 

Max shook her head. "No, it's not that. Jondy knows me better than anyone. She knows I didn't mean everything I said at Thanksgiving. She still has every right to feel a little hurt though." 

"Then what's the problem?" Original Cindy was confused. She had never seen two sisters as close as Max and Jondy were. She would hate to see anything change that. 

"I tried to warn Alec, but he'd already left and his cell phone is switched off." Max started to worry slightly. "Jondy is going into heat. Don't ask how I know. Julia and Kera usually take over looking after the children when she goes into heat, while Jondy works on cures for the seizures and us going into heat. She's only ever gone with the flow of her heat cycles twice and one of those times she got shot." 

"I still don't see what the problem is." Original Cindy figured Alec could probably help Jondy through her heat cycle. Which is why she couldn't understand why Max was so worried. 

Max tried to explain her concerns more clearly. "Do you remember how bad I got when you first found out about my heat cycles. I mean, when you really found out and you knew what I really was." Her friend nodded. "Now imagine what I would have been like if I had only ever given into my cycles twice in my entire life." 

Original Cindy began to get the picture. "Damn. So Alec gonna get one hell of a surprise when he gets to San Francisco. Lucky he's not one of us mere mortals, otherwise sister girl would probably kill him." 

Julia hurried down the stairs to answer the knocking on the door. Thank goodness she had only been on the first floor of the hotel. She wasn't really surprised to find Alec on the doorstep as he had been coming to San Francisco a lot. "Come in Alec. Jondy's working in her lab. She's going through that chemical imbalance thing again." They still hadn't explained the X5s heat cycles properly to the children. 

"I know." Alec had been able to smell Jondy's scent from outside the building. "How curious are the children going to be if I disappear with their mother for two to three days?" 

Julia shut the door behind Alec. "Kera and I usually try to keep the children in another part of the hotel, so I doubt they'll notice. Just try not to break too much." Julia smiled at Alec as she headed back upstairs. 

Alec headed for the lab which was in the basement. He had barely got to the door before Jondy's arm reached out and dragged a shocked Alec inside. 

Logan walked around the almost finished Emily Cale recreation center. Things were really coming together. He was beginning to feel that he had been neglecting Max since Thanksgiving to work on the recreation center. He knew she understood why he had been so busy, but he still felt guilty. He couldn't remember the last time they had been apart for more than a couple of nights. 

Max had been the one to suggest that she stayed at Terminal City, while Logan stayed in Sandeman's house. Logan had to admit, whilst he didn't like the idea of being away from Max, he was working long days and going home exhausted. With Max not needing very much sleep, he could see her getting bored when all Logan wanted to do was sleep. He would make it up to her somehow. Christmas was coming up, maybe they could do something special then. 

Sketchy stumbled into the foyer jolting Logan from his thoughts. "Hey Logan. Got a package for you. It's been sent in from LA." 

"Thanks Sketch." Logan signed for the package and gave Sketchy a generous tip. "It must be from Zane." Although Logan knew quite a few people in Los Angeles, Zane was the only person he could think of who would send him anything. Noticing that Sketchy was looking at the parcel with great curiosity, Logan sat down on the stairs and began to open it. 

Sketchy was confused when he saw the contents of the parcel. "Why would Max's brother send you tile samples?" 

Logan grinned. "Because I was complaining at Thanksgiving that I couldn't source this particular tile and Zane must had heard me." 

Sketchy seem to have lost interest now that he knew what was inside the parcel. "Well, I've gotta go. Normal's in one of his moods where he expects us to actually do some work. See ya later." 

"See ya Sketch." Logan waved good bye. He would have to get hold of Zane to ask his future brother-in-law if he could get enough tiles so that the pool area could be finished. 

After a quick phone call to Zane, Logan let the building foreman know he'd be out for a couple of hours and headed for Terminal City. 

After greeting the disguised Transgenics at the gate, he went looking for Max. He found her waling around an old building that looked as though it may have once been a grocery store. 

Max beamed as she saw Logan walk into the building. "Well look who decided to grace us with his presence. The great Logan Cale took time out of his busy schedule to see his finance." 

Logan chuckled at Max's teasing as he kissed her hello. "I'm sorry I haven't been around a lot lately. I think the recreation center will be opened on schedule though." 

"That's good." Max turned so that she was leaning back against Logan's chest with his arms around her waist. "Maybe then I can get a bit more of your time." 

Logan frowned. "Is everything alright?" He knew Max could handle just about anything by herself and when it came to fighting, better than him. There was something in her voice though. 

"Yeah. I just miss you that's all." Max wondered if she should tell Logan that, thanks to her altered DNA, there was a possibility she would be able to have children if she continued healing. She wasn't sure that she wanted to get his hopes up. 

Logan looked down at Max's face. "I miss you too, but there's something else isn't there?" He could see it in Max's eyes, there was something she was holding back. 

Max mentally scolded herself. Logan knew her too well not to be able to pick up she was keeping something from him. "You remember how we were told that I couldn't have children after White ran over me with a truck?" Logan nodded. "Well, Jondy thinks my funky DNA may be healing me and that sometime in the future kids might be a possibility." 

"But not at the moment." Logan tried not to get too excited. "You didn't want to tell me incase you didn't completely heal?" 

"Pretty much." Max admitted. "That and my transgenic doctor is still a little mad about something I said at Thanksgiving when I was feeling sorry for myself." 

Logan nuzzled Max's neck. "I'm sure if you turned up on Jondy's doorstep, she wouldn't turn you away. If you want somebody to hold your hand while you grovel, I could take a couple of days off and I know the crew at the mansion would enjoy not having me breathing down their necks." 

Max giggled. "Thanks for the offer and I might take you up on it in a few days. Alec's with Jondy at the moment and seeing as she's in heat, I'm not too keen to visit." 

Logan realized if they visited Max's sister at the moment, they wouldn't see very much of her or Alec. "Well, we'll make it next weekend then. That way it will actually be safe for me to be in the same room with your sister." 

Max turned and wrapped her arms around Logan's waist. "When do I get a weekend, where I get you all to myself?" She had known when Logan took on changing his Grandmother's mansion into a recreation center that they wouldn't get much time together. Somehow knowing that and actually living with the reality of being apart was so different. 

Logan chuckled. "Well I have a couple of hours right now." He couldn't think of a better way to spent them, than with Max. 

Jondy and Alec lay on the floor of her lab breathing heavily. Jondy frantically tried to control her feline side. "You should have told me you were going to visit. I could have warned you about this. Are you alright?" 

Alec nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to surprise you. What are you so worried about? I have been with an X5 in heat before. It was practically part of the drill at Manticore." He had to admit to himself though, that none of his breeding partners had ever been as aggressive as Jondy had just been. It actually frightened him a little considering Jondy was usually the shy quiet one. 

"Sorry about the scratches and the bite marks." Jondy fought the urge to jump Alec again, but her hormones were fighting her back. 

"They'll heal." Alec could see she was fighting to stay in control. "No offense, but how did you get through this when Devon was alive." 

Jondy gave an unladylike snort. "Trust me, it's a really big turn off when the guy you're groping would rather sleep with another guy than you. Plus I took a lot of cold showers." 

Alec sat up slowly, his whole body aching from being slammed up against various pieces of furniture. "You mean to tell me that you've never ...." 

Jondy shook her head. "Only once did I ever follow my screwed up hormones. Twice if you count the time I got shot by Edward. I heard that Edward couldn't walk for a couple of weeks after I'd finished with him the first time." 

Alec could quite easily believe that. His own body was thanking him and cursing him at the same time. "I guess we'd both better get into a cold shower." He quickly pulled his jeans on while Jondy dressed. 

Jondy nodded as she tugged her own clothes on. "I should have warned you about the down side of fighting the heat cycles. I just wasn't expecting to see you this week." 

Alec nodded that he understood. "It's alright. We'll find a way to work through this." He squeezed her hand. The truth was, it scared the hell out of him to see her so out of control. 

Jondy looked up at Alec. "You'd better get me in that cold shower. Right now." 

Logan made sure nobody saw him leaving Terminal City and made his way to his car. Despite his Grandmother leaving him a lot of money, Logan had kept the Aztec. That car had seen he and Max through a lot and at the moment he couldn't bare to part with it. As he approached his car, he saw an African man leaning against it. "Excuse me. Can I help you?" 

The man pulled a gun out of his pocket. "Actually, I think you can. We're looking for an X5 and I think you can help us find her." 

"An X what?" Logan decided his best bet was to play dumb until he found out what the man wanted. "And who's us?" He turned slightly and saw he was surrounded. "Oh, that's us." 

"What do you want us to do with him Zeak?" The man holding the gun asked somebody behind Logan. 

"Take him back to the base." Zeak moved into Logan's view. "When his girlfriend comes to the rescue, we'll catch her as well. It's only a matter of time before her sister shows up. We'll just offer her a trade, her services for her sister and her sister's boyfriend." 

"I think you've got the wrong guy." Logan decided to stick with the bluff for the moment. "I don't have a girlfriend, so I guess that lets her sister out of the picture." 

Zeak grinned at Logan. "We know who you are Mr Cale. We have it on very good authority that you know a number of the X5's, especially the one we are looking for." 

Logan knew immediately who the South African was talking about. "How is Donald Lydecker?" He had checked the safe house that Lydecker had been staying in a few weeks ago. It was obvious he had left and not recently. Logan had assumed that White's conclave buddies had tracked Lydecker down and he had run. Now it seemed Lydecker had gone straight to the South Africans when the coast was clear. 

"Eager to see you." Zeak gestured towards the car he had waiting. "It seems Deck thinks quite highly of you. Just as well for you, otherwise you'd already be dead." 

"Lucky me." Logan muttered as he walked towards the car. Keeping his cell phone out of sight, he quickly sent a text message to Max, knowing that his cell phone would probably get taken off of him. 

Joshua glanced over at Max. "Little Fella. What's that beeping noise?" He had heard the noise coming from her direction. 

Max listened for a moment but couldn't hear anything. Then it occurred to her that Jondy might send her a text message. "It's my phone." The caller ID confused her for a moment. "It's from Logan." 

"Why would Logan send you a message?" Joshua had seen Logan leave a few minutes ago. "He's only just given you your phone back. Is he testing it to make sure it's working?" 

"I guess so." Max pushed a button on the phone so that the text message play across her cell phone screen. "Damn it. The South Africans have got Logan. It's a trap to catch Jondy." The last part of the message made her blood run cold. "Lydecker's behind it." 

Mole walked in as Max was reading the text message. "I though Lydecker betrayed Manticore. Why would he get involved with the South Africans? Aren't they working along the same lines as Manticore?" 

"Yeah." Max was running through a possible plan in her head. "They want Jondy for her medical knowledge as well as her DNA. Could be Lydecker wants to build a better Manticore. After all, he knows what works and what doesn't." 

"Then why do they need Jondy at all?" Joshua was quite distressed that Jondy might be in danger. "And why would they take Logan to get to her?" 

Max hadn't really thought of that until now. Why had they taken Logan. "Ok, let's think this through. First of all, Lydecker knows where Jondy lives. So why doesn't he head straight to San Francisco." 

Joshua shook his head. "Lydecker only knows Jondy lives in San Francisco. He doesn't know her exact location. She made sure he was blindfolded when he was brought to San Francisco and when she sent him home. Jondy also made sure Lydecker was kept in the parts of the hotel that had the windows boarded up." 

Mole grinned. "That's pretty smart. Your sister obviously never trusted him." 

"Just the same, I think I'll call her and get her to relocate." Max wouldn't put it past Lydecker to have found a way to discover where she was. She quickly dialed her sister's number. She was surprised when Alec answered the phone not Julia or Kera. "Hey Alec. Why are you answering the phone? I though you'd be otherwise occupied." 

"Yeah, thanks for warning me about that." Alec collapsed on the sofa. "Jondy's in the shower if you want to speak to her." He noticed the children had started to gather around him, their faces filled with curiosity. 

"I didn't know Jondy was in heat until you had left." Max hastily explained. "Besides, I did try to reach you on your cell phone." 

Alec reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "Sorry. It looks as though I forgot to switch it back on. What's wrong? You sound panicked." 

"The South Africans have Logan." Max was trying not to panic. "It looks as though Lydecker's involved. Logan managed to get a text message through it me, but I figure they'll probably take his cell phone off of him soon." 

Alec followed Max's train of thought. "You think this is an elaborate scheme to get to Jondy. If Lydecker is involved, he's been here, so he may be able to reveal her location. I'll get everybody moved right away." 

"Thanks." At least that was one thing off of Max's mind. "I figure Lydecker's probably told the South Africans that Devon's dead, so Jondy is their last shot at reviving Manticore or something just like it." 

"Don't worry. I've got things covered here." Alec wasn't sure how he was going to cope with Jondy and move the entire family. "Let us know when you find out where they're keeping Logan." 

"I will." Despite the urgency of the situation, Max couldn't resist asking. "Is Jondy still mad at me?" 

Alec rolled his eyes. "She's not exactly mad at anyone at the moment. I'll get her to call you once we've relocated. Bye." He hung up the phone. "Did you get all that J?" He knew his girlfriend would have used her enhanced hearing once the phone had started ringing. 

"Yeah." Jondy walked into the room wearing a bathrobe. "Alright everybody. You know the drill." She had another property in San Francisco in case of an emergency. 

The children quietly moved as a unit. It was obvious they had done this before. Alec waited for the children to leave the room before he spoke. "You have an idea of where the South Africans are keeping Logan, don't you?" 

Jondy nodded. "I figure they're pretty eager to get hold of me, so they won't make it very hard to be found. My bet is they've set up shop at the same location they took me when Mathew was working for them." 

"That makes sense." Alec agreed. "Max says Lydecker's working with them. My guess is that it will be easy to get in, but not as easy to get out. You know their methods better than I do, what do you think their plan is?" 

"Well my brain isn't functioning the way it should at the moment," Jondy was finding it hard to think of anything but jumping Alec at that moment. "But at a guess, I'd say they've taken Logan, so that Max will go in to get him, then they probably plan on catching her so that I'll turn up to try and get Max out." 

Alec could almost hear Jondy purring. That cold shower didn't appear to have helped cool her off very much. "I have a really insane idea." Alec couldn't believe he was even going to suggest it. "We may be able to your heat cycle to our advantage." 

"I'm listening." Jondy wondered what Alec had in mind. It was frustrating as hell focusing on his words not his body. 

"Well, not to insult you or anything," Alec knew he could possibly get his ass kicked for what he was about to suggest, "but at the moment you're really aggressive. What I'm suggesting is that you store up that aggression, head for Seattle and kick South African butt. I'm thinking that will cause enough of a diversion for Max to get Logan out." 

"I have to keep my hands off of you until we get to Seattle, so that I will be so sexually frustrated I'll beat the crap out of anyone that gets in my way?" Jondy thought about the plan for a moment. "That could work. Phone Max and tell her your plan while I get dressed and grab my bag. Better tell her to move Rebecka as well. When Lydecker's plan A doesn't work, he'll be looking for a plan B." 

Max repeated Alec's plan to Joshua with Mole standing nearby. "I'm not sure it's going to work, so I want a team standing by in the sewers just in case." 

"I've got your back Little Fella, Jondy's too." Joshua tried to reassure Max, but he was concerned as well. Alec's plan sounded completely insane. 

Mole shook his head in disbelief. "Let me get this straight. Jondy's the red head who lost her sight a few months back before we came to call this dump home. Is she still blind, cause nobody seeing clearly would walk into a trap like this." 

Max rolled her eyes. "No Mole, my sister operated on my brain blind." She snapped sarcastically. "Of course she has her eyesight back. Did she look blind to you at Thanksgiving?" 

"No." Mole went back to chewing on his cigar. 

"Joshua, can you organize a back up team?" Max started to dial a number on her cell phone. "I've gotta get my mother moved before Lydecker gets to her." 

Logan found himself being hauled into a room that looked like a prison cell. His cell phone had been forcibly taken from him in the car and any attempt to escape was met with a punch in the face. After being locked in the room, he got slowly to his feet and took in his surroundings. 

Lydecker observed Logan over a monitor. "I told you he wasn't to be harmed. Do you have any idea the trouble we are going to have when X5 452 sees the state he's in?" 

Zeak crossed his arms in front of him. "First of all, you said you wanted him alive. He's alive, even though he didn't seem too eager to catch up on old times with you. Secondly, he may have tipped off the girl." He tossed Lydecker Logan's cell phone. "A text message has been sent on that to another cell phone." 

Lydecker was impressed Logan had still managed to warn Max despite being captured. "It doesn't matter. The team in San Francisco have located X5 210's home from the description I gave of the interior that I saw while staying there. They should have X5 210 in custody within the hour." 

Zeak looked at the monitor where Logan was walking around his room. "So what do we do with him? He knows where we are." 

"Let me deal with Cale." Lydecker snapped. "He could still be of a lot of use to us." He walked out of the room and headed for Logan's cell. 

Logan watched Lydecker approach him. "If you think Max and Jondy are going to let you capture them using me as bait, you underestimated them." 

"Maybe." Lydecker leaned back against the wall, his hands in his jacket pockets. "I hear White's still alive and rotting in jail. How the hell did that happen? Your shot was spot on." 

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know how these conclave freaks work. Somebody got to him after we rushed Max and Jondy to the hospital and got him some medical attention. Hell, I've hit that freak with a car and seen him get right back up and walk away." Logan continued to pace. "But you didn't come here to talk about Ames White." 

Lydecker could see Logan's face was starting to swell. "I'll send somebody in with an ice pack. I'm guessing you'll want to look your best when Max comes to get you." As he walked away Lydecker motioned to the guard. "Send someone to this address, we may need some extra leverage." He handed the guard a piece of paper with the address of the house that Rebecka was staying at. "Contact me when you have her." 

Logan knew Max would figure out where he was being held and come and get him. The mere thought of Max putting herself in danger to save him, terrified Logan. In his heart, he knew that if their positions were reversed, despite Max's super human strength, Logan would run to the rescue too. "Be careful Max." He spoke so quietly that only an X5 would have been able to pick up his voice. 

Max looked around her at the motley crew assembled. "Ok. Everyone knows the drill. But for God's sake, stay clear of Jondy. Let Alec handle her." 

Mole rolled his eyes. "Tell me again why we are going to so much trouble for a normal. And don't try and tell us it's not because he's your boyfriend." 

Max stood with her hands on her hips. "We are doing this because Logan has done a lot for everyone at Terminal City. Also he is my fiancé and I was sort of looking forward to planning my wedding. Last of all Mole, if you don't help me save Logan's butt, your supply of cigars will cease." 

"Alright, just asking." Mole smirked. 

"When will Jondy and Alec be here?" Joshua put his hand on Max's shoulder to remind her, she had someone for support. 

"I'm here, Alec's in the van." Jondy strode towards the group. "Original Cindy just turned up with Rebecka. She said something about having to lose some black helicopter guys." 

Joshua took a step away from Jondy. "Not so sure of this Little Fella. Why is Alec still in the van? This was his plan." He had never seen Jondy in heat. She looked ready to tackle anyone who got in her way. 

"It's probably so that she won't eat him alive." Max muttered, before she answered Joshua's question seriously. "Alec is taking the van. We don't know what condition we're going to find Logan in. It may not be possible to get him out via the sewers." 

"Can we hurry this up." Jondy was getting more and more agitated. She plugged a set of coms into her ear. "Alec, are you picking me up?" 

"Yeah." Alec's voice came down the coms. "Loud and clear. I'll see you at the other end. Try not to get shot." 

"I'll keep that in mind." Jondy shot back sarcastically. She eased herself down into the sewer. 

Max followed her sister down into the sewers, with Joshua, Mole and the small group of transgenics behind her. Max had the distinct feeling that Logan had been hurt, but she pushed the feeling aside to concentrate on getting him away from Lydecker and the South Africans. 

"Colonel Lydecker." One of Zeak's men walked up to Lydecker who was watching Logan on a monitor. "The woman you sent me to fetch is missing. It looks as though she left in a hurry." 

"Damn it." Lydecker slammed his fist down on the desk in front of him. "Contact the team in San Francisco. I want X5 210 picked up now." In the back of his mind Donald Lydecker knew Jondy had already moved her family. Logan had been right, he had underestimated two of his kids. 

"Sorry Colonel, the San Francisco team say the girl moved her family out." The South African looked confused. "Could we have a leak here?" 

Lydecker shook his head. "I doubt it. The two X5 women in question have an unique bond. If Cale tipped one of them off, then they both know that we have Cale." 

"You think they'll try and get Mr Cale anyway?" The man questioned. 

"What's your name son?" Lydecker looked the man in the eye. 

"Corban Sir." Corban stood at attention. He knew how powerful Donald Lydecker could be. The man was a legend. 

"Well, Corban. I have known these two women long enough to know that they will do anything for that man. Just as he will do anything for them, especially X5 452." Lydecker turned back to the monitor. "I also know that we'd better all be on our toes, cause we just picked a dangerous fight." 

Logan stopped pacing. He knew Max was near. It was as though he could sense her. He would have to ask Jondy what that was about once he managed to get the hell out of wherever he was. Maybe it had to do with the blood transfusions he had received from Max and Joshua. 

Glancing around the room Logan spotted the camera. If he was going to be of any help to Max, then he had to get rid of the camera. The only furniture in the room was a wooden chair and a cot. Using every ounce of strength he had left, Logan dragged the cot over so that it was beneath the camera. When the light's flickered and went out, Logan quickly smashed the chair on the concrete floor. Picking up a piece of the broken chair, he climbed onto the cot and swung at the camera knocking it from the wall just as the lights came back on courtesy of a back up generator. "Come and get me Max." Logan grinned to himself. 

Everybody in the sewers was staring at Joshua. "I hear a generator working. They'll be able to see you coming." Joshua looked down at the X5 twins. 

"Alec." Jondy spoke into her set of coms. "We have an added complication. Joshua can hear a back up generator." 

"You still going in?" Alec had been standing beside the fuse box with a set of pliers. 

Max looked at her sister as she answered Alec's questions. "We're still going in. We'll just have to take the camera's out as we go. Maybe we can pick up a supply of weapons for our troubles." 

"Let's go shopping." Jondy climbed up the ladder that led to a manhole cover which was in the basement of where they suspected Logan was being kept. 

By the time Max had followed her sister, Jondy had taken out the guard and the camera in the basement. Max picked up the gun and the guard's walkie talkie. "Mole, got you a present." She handed the items down into the manhole. 

Mole's sarcastic voice came up from the sewers. "Gee, you shouldn't have and I didn't get you anything." 

Joshua climbed out of the manhole. "Time to get Logan." He pulled the unconscious guard aside and tied him up. "I'll wait here. Yell, if you need me." 

"Thanks Big Fella." Max smiled at her friend. A moment after she and Jondy walked out the door, they came back in dragging another unconscious guard. "Another weapon for your collection." 

By this time Mole had joined Joshua in the basement. "We should save your boyfriend's ass more often. Look at the cool stuff we get." His comment was met by two icy looks from the X5 females. 

"You can't keep bringing the guards and weapons back here." A third transhuman joined them. He looked to be part bear. Since arriving at Terminal City he had been named Tek. "Just leave a trail of unconscious guards and we'll clean up behind you. As soon as you have Logan in the van, let us know and we'll all get the hell out of here with supplies." 

"Fine." Max followed Jondy back out the door. 

Lydecker hit the side of the monitor. "How many of the cameras are down?" He glanced at another monitor which was also blank. 

"Four so far." Corban answered. "Perhaps a fuse or two went when the lights went out. I have sent Ewen to check the fuse box." 

Lydecker shook his head. "I don't think it's a blown fuse. Call every guard. X5 452 is in the building. I want two men in the room with Cale." 

Corban nodded and left the room to follow Lydecker's orders. As he walked into the corridor, someone came swinging down from the ceiling and kicked him across into the wall. He barely had time to register a figure running up the wall and kicking the camera off of it's brackets, before he fell unconscious. 

"You remember where the cells are in this place?" Jondy tied Corban up with his own belt. Pulling a set of keys out of his pocket, she checked the lock on the door Corban had just come through. Picking the matching key she slipped it into the lock, turned the key locking the door and broke the key off in the lock. 

"Yeah." Max headed towards the prison block. "I'm guessing we can't get out through the ventilation system like we did the last time." 

"I don't think so." Jondy took out another camera, ripping it off the wall as she ran up and flipped over backwards onto the tiled floor. "I figure they learnt from their mistakes." 

As they approached two more guards just outside the cell block, Jondy tossed the camera at one of the guards. "Catch." As the startled guard went to catch the camera, Jondy punched him in the face. The guard crumpled to the ground. 

The second guard quickly fired the taser on his gun, but Max simply dodged the taser and flipped over backwards kicking the guard in the face. 

"Is it just me or was this too easy to get in here." Max kicked the door before her in. Marching into the cell block, she searched the small rooms for Logan until she sensed him. 

"It was bound to be. After all they wanted to catch us. The hard bit will be getting out." Jondy bent down and picked the lock. "I gotta tell you though, breaking and entering while in heat is a bitch." 

Max reached into the room and pulled Logan out. "So what you're basically saying is, it's not going to be a picnic getting out." She caught sight of Logan's battered face, which she hadn't noticed before. "Oh my God, what did they do to you." Max went to storm back down the corridor. "I'm gonna kick their asses." 

Jondy crossed her arms in front of her and leaned back against the wall. "Ok. You go kick some butt and I'll stay here and grope your fiancé, cause he still looks real good to me even with his pretty face busted up." She grinned as her sister marched back into the room. "Thought you'd see it my way." 

Max grabbed Logan's hand and dragged him out into the corridor after her. "We can kick butt another time, when you're not ready to jump anything in pants." 

"Hey. I'm still plugged into the coms." Alec protested. "Still hearing what you're saying." He knew Jondy's comment about groping Logan was merely to stop her sister from running off without thinking. She wasn't like Asha. She wouldn't use him like that. 

"Start the engine Babe." Jondy smirked to herself. "We're on our way out." She came screeching to a halt when she saw the guards blocking their way out. The sound of gunfire told her Lydecker was shooting his way out of the room they had locked him in. 

Lydecker pushed his way through the guards until he faced Max, Logan and Jondy. "The only way out of here is through us and that's not going to be easy with Jondy being blind." He had been surprised to see the red head and assumed that Max had led her sister through the building. 

"I'd say our chances are pretty good." Logan mumbled, his face so swollen that it was difficult to speak. Lydecker hadn't seen Jondy since she had regained her sight. "In fact I'd say better than good." 

Max played along with the act, reaching back behind her to help her sister to move forward. "Haven't you noticed that half your toy soldiers are missing Deck." 

"You're still outnumbered Max." Lydecker pointed out smugly. "None of you are armed, but then you and Jondy never did like guns. A lot has changed, but that hasn't. Ever since that tragic accident with Eva, the two of you were just about to be sick at the mere sight of a gun." 

"Shooting a child at point blank range can hardly be called an accident." Jondy snapped. 

Logan saw Mole, Joshua and Tek closing in behind the guards. "I don't have a problem using a gun." 

Everything seemed to happen at once. The three transhumans attacked from the rear as Jondy spun and kicked Lydecker in his mid section sending him flying into the guards directly behind him. Max jump kicked the guard to Lydecker's right causing the same domino effect that Jondy had managed with Lydecker. Logan grabbed the nearest gun and hit a guard in the face with it. As another guard went to grab Max, he fired the taser gun which had been set to stun. 

Soon Logan and the Transgenics were standing amongst a pool of fallen guards. Grabbing all of the weapons, they made their way out of the building. Logan, Max and Jondy went out the front door, while Mole, Tek and Joshua headed back down into the sewers. 

Alec had the van running, but as soon as he saw Logan, Max and Jondy heading out the front door of the building he climbed out of the driver's seat and into the back of the van. 

Logan climbed into the front passenger seat, while Max climbed into the driver's seat and Jondy joined Alec in the back. "Why isn't Alec driving?" 

Max stayed concentrating on the road. "Well, it's a long story but in order to get you out, Alec came up with this crazy plan to use Jondy's heat cycle to our advantage. So they traveled from San Francisco with Alec driving and Jondy in the back of the van. It seemed to work pretty good cause Jondy was throwing those guards aside like they were scrapes of rubbish." 

Logan had seen Max when she tried to control herself during a heat cycle. He could only guess what Jondy must be like. "My God, does that mean ..." 

"Yeah." Max yanked the set of coms out of her ear and banged on the wall of the van behind her. "Hey guys, I can hear you unfortunately, but you two still have your coms plugged in, so everyone at Terminal City can probably hear you as well." 

Logan started to relax in the van despite the banging and crashing in the back of the van. "So I'm guessing after this little incident, you're not going to want Lydecker to walk you down the isle." 

Max shot him a disgusted look. "That was never my intention anyway. I sort of thought about asking Joshua to take on that duty, but I guess it depends on the guest list." 

"I wouldn't worry about my family." Logan had already considered the transgenic verses human ratio at their wedding. "There's only a couple of them that I want at our wedding. Most of my friends are your friends. I though I'd ask Bling to be my best man." 

Max pulled the van into Terminal City. "Sounds good. I asked Original Cindy to be my maid of honor and I figured my sisters could be bridesmaids." 

"Well at least we have some of our wedding planned out." Logan climbed out of the van which was beginning to shake due to the action in the back. 

"Let's get you to the infirmary." Max put her arm around Logan's waist. "We can sort the rest of our wedding plans out later." 

Logan gestured over his shoulder to the van. "What about them?" Alec had never been his favorite person in the world, but the way the van was rocking he figured Alec might be safer outside with them. 

Max glanced back at the van. "I figure another twenty four hours and they'll both be fine." She noticed a curious X8 going to look at the van. "Hey, do me a favor and keep everyone away from the van." 

The X8 nodded and sat down on the ground, a safe distance away from the van, keeping watch. 

The next day Logan found Jondy sitting observing Joshua walking around Logan's car, which had been brought into Terminal City. "How are you feeling?" Logan sat down beside his future sister-in-law. 

"Exhausted." Jondy grinned at Logan. "Apart from that, not too bad. Wish I could say the same for Alec. I don't think he'll be visiting me for a week or so." 

"I'm not going to ask for details." Logan nodded towards his car. "What's Joshua doing?" He frowned when the canine man got down on his hands and knees and reached under Logan's car. 

"Joshua said he could hear a noise coming from your car when one of the X6's brought it in." Jondy smiled at the huge dog man as he held up the device he had pulled out from under Logan's car. "Good work Big Fella." 

"Lydecker planted a tracking device under my car." Logan looked at Jondy. "How did he know we'd get out of that place?" 

"He didn't." Joshua handed the device to Jondy. "He was just covering all of his bases." He patted Logan on the head. "Are you alright?" 

Logan nodded. "Just a few bruises and cracked ribs. I'll be fine in a couple of days." He reached out and hugged Jondy. "Thanks for coming in after me with Max." 

Jondy chuckled. "No problem. Let's not do this again." She looked down at the tracking device in her hand. "I have an idea on what to do with this. Anyone up for a trip to the bus station?" 

Corban knocked on the door to the room that Lydecker was using as an office. "Excuse me Sir. We have picked up the tracking device you had us plant on Cale's car. It appears he's heading for New Orleans." 

"She's getting him out of Seattle so he'll be safe." Lydecker mumbled to himself. "Do we have any contacts in New Orleans?" 

"Yes Sir." Corban saluted. "I'll get hold of them right away." 

"It's only a matter of time." Lydecker muttered as Corban left the room. This time Manticore would be operated his way without any interference. All he needed was Jondy to make it all work and Logan Cale was the link to both Max and Jondy. 

Max burst out giggling. "So you attached the tracking device to a bus heading for New Orleans." 

Jondy nodded. "Yeah. I guess Lydecker figures now that Renfro's dead and White is behind bars, he can be King of Manticore with a little help from me." 

Max gave an unladylike snort. "Like that's ever gonna happen." She became serious. "So you're really going to leave San Francisco and move to Florida?" 

Jondy nodded. "That's the plan. It's not safe in San Francisco anymore. Lydecker will have men combing the city for me and I wouldn't put it past him to use one of the children to get to me. I still have to talk it over with Kera and Julia though. They may want to stay in San Francisco." 

Max could see her sister's point. It wasn't about keeping Jondy safe, it was about keeping the children safe. "If that's what you think is best. Just stay in touch." She looked at the charts Jondy was flicking through. "So what's the diagnosis Doc?" 

Jondy smiled at her sister. "Why don't you get Logan in here first." She could tell Max was trying not to look as though the results mattered. 

"Logan!" Max yelled knowing Logan was just outside the door, as eager to hear the results as she was. 

"What's wrong?" Logan came running into the infirmary. Seeing the unsure look on Max's face, he immediately put his arms around Max and kissed the top of her head. "It's ok Max. I told you we can always adopt." 

Jondy rolled her eyes as she began to pack up her gear to head back to San Francisco. "You could adopt or you could just have a child of your own." She giggled at the surprised looks on Max and Logan's faces. "Looks like Manticore technology came through for you two." She reached into her bag and pulled out a packet of condoms and tossed them to Logan. "You two have a lot of things to work out. You don't want any extra unexpected surprises." She hugged Max and Logan good bye. "I'll call you when I get back to San Francisco." 

"Thanks Jondy." Max called after her sister. She looked up at Logan. "So I guess we have a lot to talk about." 

"Guess so." Logan felt as though he had just been handed the world on a silver patter. "So, where are we going to have our wedding?" 

_The End_


	35. The Meaning of Christmas

**"The Meaning of Christmas"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Julia, Jondy's children, Rebecka and Devon however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

Each of the X5's celebrate Christmas in their own way.

**Timeframe:**

Follow up story to Here We Go Again, occurs after Freak Nation

**Rating:**

PG

**Category:**

Romance

* * *

PART ONE: ZANE 

Los Angeles: Christmas Eve 

Zane sat on his usual perch on top of the Hollywood sign. It was one of the few monuments left standing after the pulse. It seemed so peaceful at this time of night, but Zane knew it was anything but peaceful. 

The years that he had been at Manticore as a child and even the years since the twelve of them had escaped, Christmas had never had any meaning to Zane. As far as he knew, it had no meaning to his brothers and sisters either. This year however, things had changed. Thanks to his sister Max's fiancé, Logan, he was starting to appreciate the meaning behind a lot of the seasonal holidays. 

At Thanksgiving, the few siblings Zane was in contact with had come together in Seattle at Terminal City. It had been one of the few times in Zane's life that he had actually felt normal. This was strange considering the unusual people that had surrounded him were part human, part animal. 

This year Christmas meant he knew where some of his family was and that they were safe and happy. Because of the frequent trips to save one or two of his siblings, Christmas couldn't be spent together in one place and still have all of their jobs waiting for them when they got back. But promises had been made by each of the X5 siblings that next year they would all be together somewhere for Christmas. If there was one thing they could count on, it was a X5's promise. This year they would settle for a conference call. 

Casting the night sky one last glance, Zane headed back to his home. He had set himself and his dog up in an old warehouse. He had left his girlfriend sleeping and guarded by his dog while he went to the High Place. Beverly Shankar was another reason to celebrate Christmas this year. The beautiful Doctor had traveled from Seattle to spend the festive season with him. 

It still amazed Zane that Beverly only saw the man he was and not the freak that was created in a test tube to be an invincible soldier. He had, had girlfriends before, but they had never known the truth behind his so called birth. 

As he watched Beverly sleep, Zane was sure that the blue lady was watching over him. A woman this beautiful, intelligent and loving being interested in him couldn't just be fate. At that moment Beverly opened her eyes and looked up at him. Glancing at the time, he saw it was now 1am Christmas morning. "Merry Christmas Beautiful." 

"Merry Christmas." Beverly was still mostly asleep. "Come back to bed Baby." She cuddled up to him when he stripped off his clothes and climbed back into bed. "You're cold. Have you been at the High Place." She wasn't exactly sure where the high place was, but there seemed to be one in every state. She vaguely remembered Logan saying Max went to the High Place when she needed to think. 

"Yeah." Zane pulled her warm body closer. "What do you usually do at Christmas time?" He wanted to be able to understand what people got excited about. He couldn't believe it was all over a fat man in a red suit. 

Beverly stifled a yawn. "It depends. Some years I have worked. When my Dad was alive we used to go out together and get a Christmas tree, like the one you and I got last night. Then we used to decorate it and put the presents under it. On Christmas day, we would go to church in the morning and then come home and open our presents. We would have a roast turkey dinner and my Father would tell me stories of the Christmas' he and my mother spent together." 

Zane kissed the top of her head. "So why do you go to church? Is it to talk to your mother?" He knew Beverly's mother had died when Beverly was eight. 

Beverly hadn't understood until that moment just how neglected the X5's had been. They had missed out on all of the small pleasures in life. "I don't need to go to church to talk to my mother. She's always with me, in my heart. We go to church on Christmas Day to celebrate the birth of Christ." 

"Christ?" Zane was confused. "Is he the fat guy in the red suit with the beard?" Zane had thought he was called Santa Claus. 

"No that's Santa Claus or Saint Nick." Beverly marveled at Zane's childlike innocence over Christmas. "You remember how you told me that Ben spoke about the blue lady? Well Christ or Jesus is her son." 

"Oh." Zane sort of understood. "But if it's Christ's birthday, why do we give each other presents instead of giving them to him?" 

Beverly smiled up at Zane. He reminded her of the children at the hospital when he asked questions like that. "Well that's our way of joining in the celebration of something that happened thousands of years ago. It's also a way of bringing families together." 

"Even if it's on a conference call?" Things were beginning to appear a bit clearer to Zane. 

Beverly ran her hand up Zane's tattooed arm. "Yeah. When is the conference call?" 

"Not till tonight." Zane nuzzled Beverly's neck. "Why don't we get a few hours sleep and then I'll go to church with you and find out what the big deal is with this Jesus guy." 

"Sounds good to me." Beverly closed her eyes and fell asleep feeling safe and secure in Zane's strong arms. 

Zane had sat through the church service, completely fascinated by everything that was being said. As he was driving Beverly back to his home, Zane pondered on what he had heard in the church. "People tend to forget the true meaning of Christmas and just think about how many presents they get, don't they?" 

Beverly nodded. "It's become very commercial over the years. What did you used to do at Christmas time?" She knew Zane had stayed in contact with his sister Jondy after they had escaped from Manticore. 

Zane thought through all of the past Christmas' in his life. "Well, we didn't even know what Christmas was at Manticore. We had faced so many horrors there, that it was hard to believe in God. Especially when you saw what happened to Jondy. When we escaped I ended up in a number of foster homes. There didn't seem to be a reason to celebrate in any of them. Out of all of us, Jondy was the only one who got into a decent foster home. When I got older I spent a couple of Christmas' with Jondy and Devon if they were in San Francisco. There were times when it was too dangerous to visit anyway." 

Beverly had never experienced a Christmas like the ones Zane spoke of. Even after she had lost both parents, she at least had memories of the special Christmas' she spent with friends and family. "Well, then we'll just have to make up for all of your bad Christmas memories by creating some good ones." 

Zane took Beverly's hand in his and brought it to his lips. "This Christmas is already a vast improvement on the past ones." He kissed her hand. "Thanks for spending Christmas with me." 

Beverly squeezed Zane's hand. "There's no where else I'd rather be." 

PART TWO: JONDY AND ALEC 

Alec cuddled closer to the woman laying by his side. She had returned from work at some unearthly hour of the morning and woken him to find out how Christmas Eve had gone for him. 

Alec had arrived in Florida the previous afternoon and quickly found the address Jondy had moved her family to. As much as Alec had wanted Jondy to move to Seattle, he knew it wasn't safe enough and neither he nor Jondy were ready to live together. On arriving at the building that was now Jondy's home, Alec had found the place in the usual happy chaos that fourteen children caused. There were decorations scattered everywhere, giggling and playful screams as the children tried to decorate each other with tinsel. Jondy's infant daughter Tinga, wobbled over to him and held her arms up to be picked up. 

Julia, the children's grandmother shook her head in amusement as the children raced around the living room. "You're supposed to decorate the house, not destroy it." She spotted Alec with her youngest granddaughter in his arms. "Merry Christmas Alec. Jessica's in her room getting ready for work." She still used Jondy's alias as it helped to keep Jondy and the children safe. 

"Thanks. I'll just go and drop off my bag and then I'll give you a hand with whatever you're trying to do in here." He handed the child in his arms over to Julia. 

"Take your time." Julia pointed in the direction of Jondy's room before joining in the madness erupting in the living room. 

Alec quickly found Jondy's room and dropped his bag by the door, watching the beautiful redhead pulling her hair into a ponytail. "So, I see your living room is suffering from an overdose of the Christmas spirit." 

Jondy chuckled. "Yeah. I learnt from last year that it's safer to leave the decorating until Christmas Eve. The children kept making more and more Christmas decorations last year. It got to the point where you couldn't find the walls for decorations." She kissed Alec hello. "I'm sorry to leave you in the middle of the Christmas chaos, but I got called into work." 

"It's alright." Alec was used to being surrounded by the children as Jondy was seldom without them. "The children will show me how to decorate the tree and everything. We'll be fine." 

Jondy pulled her jacket on. "I'll try not to be too late, but unfortunately it is the silly season. I told the hospital that I was not working Christmas day under any circumstances. Since I work all of the nights, they don't seem to mind much." 

Alec followed her as she walked into the living room. "I'm not really sure how to do any of this Christmas stuff, so I probably need Julia and Kera's help." He let out a piercing whistle so that Jondy had the children's attention. "Hey, your Mom's heading off to work." 

Jondy looked at the mess her living room was in. "I'll be back in time for everyone to open presents in the morning. Take it easy on Alec, he's never done the Christmas thing before." She kissed all of the children good bye. "Do you think that you can actually get some of the decorations on the tree before I get home?" She stopped in front of Alec and kissed him good bye. "By the way, Kera's not here. She decided to stay in San Francisco with her boyfriend." 

Alec waited until Jondy had left before he turned to the children. "Ok, so I guess the deal is the decorations that you all appear to be wearing are supposed to be on the tree. Is that right?" He paused so that the children could nod. "So is there some sort of order they go on the tree in or do we just throw everything at the tree?" 

Belinda, Jondy's French daughter giggled, her green eyes sparkling. "The Angel or the Star go on last. Which one is going on the tree? The Angel or the Star?" 

"Why can't both of them go on the tree?" Alec was already totally confused. There seemed to be an art to decorating a Christmas tree. 

Leeza, the Swiss daughter shrugged her shoulders causing some of the tinsel to fall out of her blond hair. "That's not the way it's done. I guess we can put both on." 

"How come you don't know any of this stuff?" Emma, the British daughter asked. "Didn't you get Christmas at Manticore?" All of the children knew about Manticore. 

Alec sat down on the floor in front of the Christmas tree. "No, we didn't get Christmas at Manticore. Your Mum knows a bit more about all of this stuff than I do because she got out when she was a little girl and I only got out a couple of years ago." 

Ashley, the Swedish daughter frowned. "Uncle Zane doesn't know much about Christmas either and he got out of Manticore the same time as Mom did." 

Julia gently interrupted. "You remember what your Mother told you about Uncle Zane? He had some pretty bad foster homes, so he didn't really have a reason to celebrate." 

Alec hadn't really thought that the X5's that had escaped as children might have had a tough run of it. "I guess Jondy was lucky that Devon found her and brought her home to you." 

Julia smiled sadly. "Devon knew straight away that Jessica needed somebody to love her and not treat her like a science experience. When my son first brought her home she was scared of her own shadow." 

Mya, the Mexican daughter handed Alec a bag of ornaments. "Mom says Christmas is about families and even though she couldn't spend all her Christmas' with her brothers and sisters, she was happy that Daddy shared his family with her so that she wasn't alone." 

"Nobody should be alone at Christmas." Celeste, the Spanish daughter pointed at the tree where she thought Alec should hang the decorations. "That's what Mom says anyway." 

"Your Mom's right." Alec started to hang the decorations where he was shown. "So why is Jondy working at a Hospital? I thought when you guys moved, that she would just go to work in another bar." 

"Mom says that Lydecker would know to look for her working at a bar." Heidi the German daughter started to follow Alec around the tree with the tinsel. 

Alec had to admit that was a smart move on Jondy's part. "So am I doing this right?" Alec looked at his handiwork. "Should all the decorations be on one side of the tree?" 

Alicia, the only transgenic adopted daughter burst out giggling. "No. The decorations are supposed to be evenly placed around the tree." 

Shannon, the American daughter moved a few of the decorations before the tree tipped over. "So are you going to be here in the morning when we open presents?" 

Alec nodded. "That's the plan." He watched the girls decorating the tree for a moment. "I get it now, it's a balance thing with the decorations." 

The house and the tree were decorated and the children in bed when Jondy walked through the door. It had been a hellish night at work with car accidents, bar room brawls and the usual minor injuries that seem to occur around any public holiday. 

When she walked into her bedroom Alec was fast asleep in her bed. He looked exhausted. The children had obviously worn him out. She couldn't resist waking him up. "Hey Babe. Still full of Christmas spirit?" She giggled as Alec pulled her into his arms. 

"Those children of yours have far too much energy." Alec mumbled into her neck. "I guess Christmas means a whole different thing for Doctors." He glanced at the clock beside Jondy's bed and saw the time. "Busy night at work?" 

"Yeah." Jondy kicked off her shoes and shrugged off her jacket. "They don't call Christmas the silly season for nothing. People just don't seem to think around this time of year." 

Alec waited for Jondy to finish undressing before cuddling up to her. "This parenting stuff you do is really hard. How do you get through each day without always being totally exhausted?" 

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "You get used to it. I get a lot of help from Julia. Christmas time the children get really excited about what presents they're going to get. You know, they're not normally this boisterous." 

"Yeah I know." Alec kissed the top of her head. "How long do we have until the children wake up to open their presents?" He hoped he could at least get a couple of hours sleep. 

"They'll be up early." Jondy closed her eyes and laid her head on Alec's chest. "But the rules are they can't open any presents before 9am. That way Julia gets to sleep in." 

Alec couldn't even remember closing his eyes to go to sleep. When he opened his eyes he found the children in the room staring at him. "What's wrong?" 

Maggie, the Irish daughter spoke. "It's quarter to nine. Mom says we can open our presents at nine." 

Jondy didn't move or open her eyes. "Go and put the kettle on. We'll be there by the time the kettle boils." 

The children, satisfied with Jondy's answer turned and left the room. Alec lifted the lock of red hair covering her face and found her looking at him. "Merry Christmas." 

Jondy grinned. "Merry Christmas. Are you ready for round two of the Christmas chaos?" 

Alec grabbed some clothes. "Lead the way. The family conference call isn't until tonight is it?" He vaguely remembered Max mentioning it back in Seattle. 

"No." Jondy pulled a bathrobe on and went to fetch the twins. "I can't help but wonder how Zack's spending Christmas this year." 

"I wouldn't have thought Zack would really go for celebrating Christmas much." Alec took one of the twins off of Jondy. 

"He didn't." Jondy walked into the living room. "That's why I wonder if Christmas is actually fun for him this year since he can't remember the past." 

Alec hadn't considered that. "All the better for Max and Logan." He muttered as they joined the children to take part in another Christmas first for him. 

PART THREE: ZACK 

Christmas morning Adam Thompson was up bright and early as usual. The livestock on the ranch didn't know it was Christmas and still expected life to go on as normal. At first, when Buddy had brought him home from Metro Medical in Seattle, he had been concerned that he was unable to remember his past. As time moved on and his memory didn't return, he just figured his past wasn't worth remembering. 

"Adam! Come and get your breakfast." Mary, Buddy's wife called from the house. She doted on him as though he was her own son. 

"Coming!" Adam called back, giving the gray mare beside him a pat on the nose. "See ya later girl." As he headed back to the house, he paused to watch the two fillies trotting around their pen. One was copper colored, the other jet black. 

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Buddy joined Adam at the fence. "Interesting names you've given them. Why Max and Jondy?" 

Adam shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. The names just sprung into my head when I saw them. It's sort of strange how they work well together, but when you separate them, Max is stubborn and does her own thing and Jondy is shy and quiet, almost as if she's storing information and doesn't want you to know it." 

Buddy nodded. "Very rare those two fillies are." He mentally made a note to phone Logan Cale. He knew Cale's girlfriend was called Max and was concerned that Adam was subconsciously remembering his life as Zack. "Come on, Mary will be wondering where we are." 

Breakfast was eaten and presents were exchanged. Adam felt an overpowering sense of belonging, which confused him as he also felt a big part of him was missing. It wasn't the first time he had felt this way. The first Christmas he could remember spending with Buddy and Mary, held no memories for him. It was as if he had never celebrated Christmas ever in his life. 

"Are you alright Adam? You're very quiet." Mary cast him a worried look. She had grown very fond of the young man since he had come to live with them. 

Adam smiled at Mary. "I'm fine, I just wish I could remember some of the other Christmas' that I've spent here. I wish I could remember my parents, not that I don't appreciate everything you've done for me." 

"I know." Mary understood where the young man was coming from, but she also knew from what her husband had told her that it was dangerous for Adam to remember his real life. 

Adam pushed his self pitying thoughts aside and stood up. "Thanks for the presents. I've got a lot of work to do." 

Mary waited until she heard the screen door shut before she spoke to her husband. "Do you think he'll ever remember his life before coming here?" 

Buddy picked up the phone and dialed a cell phone number. "I hope not, but after I heard the names Adam gave the fillies, I'm beginning to wonder." He heard the phone on the other end of the line being answered. "Merry Christmas Logan. It's Buddy. Look, sorry to call you so early, but I was wondering, do you know anyone called Jondy?" He listened to the answer. "Oh I see. Congratulations on your engagement. I take it Max is the lucky lady." He listened for a moment to the questions coming down the phone. It was obvious that he had woken Logan from a deep sleep and it was only this minute that he was realizing the deep meaning behind Buddy's questions. "No Adam is fine. I mean he's a little down that he still hasn't recovered his memory. The thing is, I think he's remembering a couple of things but doesn't know it." 

Mary listened patiently. Obviously the questions that her husband was asking Logan had upset the other man. She waited for her husband to finish his phone call. "What did Logan say?" 

"Well it wasn't the best news to get first thing on Christmas morning." Buddy ran his hand over his face. "It turns out that Jondy and Max and both Zack's sisters. Max and Logan have recently become engaged. Logan is hoping that if we don't act as though there is anything unusual about the names Adam gave the fillies, he either won't remember anything else or won't connect the names to real people. Having said that, we are to call Logan if anything else happens." 

"That's going to be hard." Mary pointed out. "I mean look at the time he named the fox that was stealing the chickens, Logan. It was hard enough to hide our shock then." 

Buddy nodded in agreement. "We have to try though. That boy deserves a chance at a normal life as much as his sisters do. From what Logan just told me, Jondy had to move to a different state to avoid being captured." 

"Poor girl." Mary sympathized. "Well, we told Logan that we'd help him after all he's done for us. Not that it's that much of a hardship. Adam's such a hard worker and a pleasure to have around. I just hope any memories he gets back, don't change his life for the worse." 

Adam started mucking out the stables. Every now and again an image would flash through his head. At first they were of the dark haired woman he had seen when he was leaving the hospital. He had figured his mind was just playing tricks on him, after all she was beautiful. But then another woman started appearing in flashes, along with a sense of brotherly protectiveness. With hair the color of spun copper and eyes as blue as the sky on a clear day, she made a lasting impression. 

Why were these women floating around in his head and who were they. Obviously the Christmas Season was getting to him. Whoever these women were, they weren't part of his life now. Considering how Buddy and Mary always treated him as though he were their own son, Adam felt slightly guilty wondering what he was missing from the past. 

"No point in dwelling on the past." Adam muttered to the horses that were watching him. "Especially, considering I can't remember it." He couldn't help but laugh at himself. "Of course, I could just be going mad seeing as I'm talking to horses." 

"Well, they're mighty good listeners, son." Buddy slapped Adam on the back. "Seriously though, if you need to talk, you know where I am." He wasn't just offering a shoulder to lean on as a friend, but also because he needed to be able to warn Logan if Adam fully regained his memory as Zack. 

"I know. I'm fine really." Adam smiled at his friend. "Best finish up here or Mary will with hold her Christmas cake from both of us." 

"Can't have that." Buddy grabbed a pitch fork to help Adam muck out the stables. "Nobody makes a better Christmas Cake in the world." He grinned. "But then I'm bias." 

Adam laughed at Buddy's honesty. "Yeah, but you're right. Merry Christmas Buddy." 

"Merry Christmas Adam." Buddy concentrated on the task at hand. Maybe he was worrying about nothing. 

PART FOUR: KRIT & SYL 

"I hate the Christmas flights." Krit walked into Syl's Las Vegas apartment and collapsed on the sofa. He managed to get a job as a co-pilot at the airport. "People seem to get real mean spirited at this time of the year." 

Syl had just returned from work herself. "Tell me about it. Some idiot gambled away all of the money he was supposed to be buying his kid's Christmas presents with. Then he tries to get the money back by telling me he had gambled it by mistake. It's not as if, if I gave the money back he wouldn't just gamble it away again at a different table." 

Krit shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't believe the sort of things normals do to each other, especially around Christmas. I guess Max got one of the few good ones." He held his arms out for Syl. 

Syl sat down on Krit's lap and snuggled into his arms. "Jondy had a real winner in Devon too even if he was gay." She looked at Krit. "I wonder how Alec's coping spending Christmas with fourteen children." 

Krit chuckled to himself. "As long as Jondy's there, Alec will find a way to cope. Besides it'll be a new experience for Alec, celebrating Christmas outside of Manticore." 

Syl pulled a parcel out of a bag beside the sofa. "Merry Christmas Krit." She handed the parcel to Krit. 

Krit handed Syl a small beautifully wrapped box. "Merry Christmas Syl." He kissed his girlfriend. "So next year we're all going to try and get together and have a proper Christmas with all of the family." 

Syl nodded as she opened her gift. "That's the plan, but who knows what the New Year will bring. At least we have Max's wedding to be sure of. I don't think Logan will ever give up on her." 

Krit watched as Syl's face lit up when she saw what he had brought her. "I guess she has a chance at a normal life." 

"That's all any of us ever wanted." Syl kissed Krit again to thank him for the gift. "Hey, at least we get Christmas day together." 

Krit opened his gift amazed at how Syl always knew the perfect gift to get him. "This is great. How did you know I wanted this?" 

Syl giggled. "You talk in your sleep. Did I get the right one?" 

"It's perfect." Krit started to kiss his way up Syl's neck. "You're perfect. The blue lady must be watching over me for me to get lucky enough to be with you." 

Syl arched her head back to give Krit better access to her neck. "I think the blue lady is watching over all of us. How else do you explain Tinga being alive, Jondy's twins and the cure for Max and Logan's virus?" 

"Right now I'm not going to." Krit stood up with Syl in his arms. "I just want to make the most of the two days I get to spend with you." He walked into Syl's bedroom carrying her. 

"You're not going to get any arguments from me." Syl tried not to laugh when Krit stumbled through her bedroom doorway. "Just remember we have that conference call tonight." 

PART FIVE: TINGA 

"Mommy! Is it time to open presents yet?" Case ran up the hallway to his parents bedroom as fast as his legs could carry him. "It's Christmas day and I waited until nine o'clock." 

Tinga pulled her pillow over her head. "It's times like this I wish I was like Max or Jondy and only needed a couple of hours sleep." She and Charlie had been up half the night wrapping presents to put under the tree. 

Charlie kissed his wife's shoulder. "I think Case is just making up for last year's Christmas when we thought we had lost you." He climbed out of bed and pulled on some clothes. "I'll get him some breakfast, then we can open presents." 

"Thanks Hon." Tinga pushed her hair off of her face. "I'll be out in a minute." She remembered where she had been this time last year. Trapped by Manticore in a psychiatric hospital. Thank God Max and Zane had broken her out. Shaking her head to clear away the bad memories, Tinga pulled on some clothes and went to join her husband and son. 

"Mommy, are we going to talk to Aunty Jondy and Aunty Max and all of my cousins today?" Case was always asking about his cousins. In a way it made him feel less like an only child when he was with his cousins. 

"Yes Sweetie." Tinga kissed the top of her son's head. "But not until tonight though. Uncle Logan's going to fix it so that we can speak to Uncle Zane, Uncle Krit and Aunty Syl as well. We might even be able to speak to Aunty Jace too." 

Charlie watched his wife and son talking as though she had never been gone. He had been devastated when Tinga had gone missing, but he had held it together for Case's sake. Then Tinga's sisters had shown up to break the news to him that they believed Tinga was dead. Although the two women had obviously been distressed by losing their sister, they had stayed a couple of days so that Charlie and Case had some support. Case hadn't wanted to let go of Jondy when it was time for the women to leave. 

"Hey, you still with us?" Tinga waved her hand in front of her husband's face. "What were you thinking about?" Whatever he was thinking about they weren't happy thoughts, she could tell by the expression on his face. 

"Just remembering how supportive your family's been over the past year or so." Charlie smiled at his wife. "How about we open some presents?" 

Case raced over to the Christmas tree. "Can I open this one first?" He held up a parcel that was almost as big as he was. 

"Who's it from?" Charlie had been hiding various parcels that had arrived from around the country for them. There were so many that he had begun to find it difficult to find new hiding places. 

Case turned the parcel over until he found a card. "It's from Aunty Jondy and my cousins." He quickly ripped the wrapping paper off to find out what he had been sent. "It's a train set. It even has it's own station and station master." 

"Wow." Tinga sat down beside her son. "Your Dad will help you set it up after you've opened all of your presents." By the looks of the train set, all of the buildings were hand crafted. 

Charlie sat down with his family. "Where did your sister get that train set from? I've never seen anything like it." He knew his sister-in-law had fourteen children to support and she had just had to move her family out of San Francisco to Florida recently. 

"Jondy knows people." Tinga reassured her husband. "She has a way with people. They tend to want to do anything they can for her." 

"Have you heard from Jondy or Max since Thanksgiving?" Charlie hadn't been surprised that Logan had proposed to Max at Thanksgiving. He had noticed the first time he had met Max and Logan, just how deeply they felt for each other. 

"Yeah. Max called the other week." Tinga chuckled as her son focused on unwrapping his presents as quickly as possible. "Lydecker has turned to the dark side again. It seems as soon as White was out of the way, he headed straight to the South Africans. They set a trap up for Jondy, using Logan as bait to get Max, so that they could use her to get Jondy. The plan backfired, but Logan was pretty badly beaten up. They managed to walk off with most of Lydecker's weapons." 

"But they're alright now?" Charlie figured he was actually pretty lucky compared to Logan, who seemed to get beaten up every other month. 

"Yeah. They're all fine, but that's why Jondy moved to another state. She figured it wasn't enough to just move house." Tinga didn't envy her twin sisters one bit. Life had not been kind to either of them. Every little bit of happiness they had, they had fought tooth and nail for. 

"Can we phone everyone now." Case wanted to speak to all of his cousins. "I've opened all my presents." 

"We have to wait until tonight, so that we can speak to everyone." Tinga gently explained to her son. "Why don't you help Daddy set up your train set." 

With her family happily focusing on the task at hand, Tinga let herself relax and enjoy the festive season. 

PART SIX: JACE 

Christmas morning in Mexico, two years ago Jace would never have thought it was even a possibility. Yet here she was, far away from Manticore with her year old daughter and her husband Victor. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy. 

Unlike her brothers and sisters, Jace had celebrated all of the public holidays while still at Manticore. Victor had made sure that he found out all of the history connected to each holiday, so that he could help Jace understand why they were celebrated. They had their own private little world inside Manticore. Now that they were out of that God forsaken place, they also had their freedom. 

Victor walked into their bedroom carrying their daughter Maxie. "Merry Christmas Sweetheart." He bent down and kissed his wife before handing their daughter to her. "I think Maxie is ready to open her presents. I caught her eyeing up that big red and green one from her Aunty Max." 

"Well, I guess we'd better go and open your presents then." Jace carried her daughter into the living room and sat down on the floor with Maxie clapping her hands in delight on her lap. "So I guess we start with this one." She pulled the box over so it was in front of her. Once Maxie saw how her mother was unwrapping the present, she started pulling and tearing the brightly colored paper herself. 

Victor chuckled at the sight. "You realize Maxie will probably have more fun with the paper than any of her presents." He watched his daughter throw the paper in the air and watch it float back down to the ground. 

"I don't know about that." Jace opened the box that had been underneath the wrapping paper to find an enormous teddy bear with a bright red bow around it's neck. 

Maxie caught sight of the stuffed toy and squealed with joy. She wound her chubby little arms around the bear's neck and hugged with all her might. She wouldn't let go of the bear to open her other presents, preferring to watch her parents open them instead. Although she expressed enjoyment at her other gifts, the bear was obviously her favorite. 

When Jace and Victor sat down to breakfast, they had to sit the bear on a chair beside Maxie's high chair so that the infant would eat her breakfast. "You can tell your sister tonight what a hit her present is." Victor joked. 

"I'm just wondering how I'm going to give Maxie her bath if she won't let go of that bear for too long." Jace noticed her daughter was already reaching for the bear again and ignoring her breakfast. 

Victor glanced over his shoulder at the presents still scattered across the floor. "Why don't you use the doll's bath that Tinga sent for Maxie to use with the dolls Krit sent her. You can put the bear in the doll's bath next to the bath tub while you're bathing Maxie." 

"It's worth a try." Jace looked adoringly at her husband as she tried to feed her daughter. "How'd I get so lucky to get such a smart sexy husband." 

"I think I got pretty lucky myself." Victor kissed his wife over his daughter's head. "So have you heard from Max when her wedding is?" He figured they'd have to head Seattle for the wedding. Although considering what Max's side of the family looked like, he wasn't sure where exactly his sister-in-law would be holding the service. He was pretty sure it wouldn't be in a church. 

"I think Max is just enjoying being engaged at the moment." Jace remembered how that had felt. The anticipation of being with that one person you couldn't live without, for the rest of your life. 

"It's certainly going to be a memorable wedding, no matter where it is." Victor chuckled. "It'll probably be the first wedding most of the Terminal City crew have been to." 

Jace giggled. "I'm just wondering what Joshua's like at the moment. I can just picture him acting like a big kid opening presents." 

"You think they'll actually have presents at Terminal City?" Victor had suddenly remembered that the transgenics didn't have the freedom or the funds to spend Christmas the way he, Jace and Maxie had. 

"If Logan has anything to say about it, they'll all be having a fantastic Christmas." Jace had come to realize that her future brother-in-law would stop at nothing to make Max happy. 

PART SEVEN: MAX & LOGAN 

An early morning phone call from Buddy had woken Logan on Christmas morning. At first it had annoyed Logan, as he had been cuddled up to Max in her room at Terminal City. Ever since Max had died in his arms and their second chance together had been postponed by a virus, Logan made the most of every second he got to spend with her. 

When Buddy had mentioned Zack remembering Jondy's name, Logan had felt nothing but sheer panic. It wasn't because it could mean his life was in danger. It was a fear of Zack taking Max away from him. The fear was still there despite the fact that he knew Max only loved Zack as a brother. 

Max could hear the entire conversation, both sides of it. When Logan hung up the phone she could tell he was worried. "Not exactly the Christmas we were hoping for. Zack always did have impeccable timing didn't he." She tried to lighten the mood. "Do you think he'll fully recover his memory?" 

"I'm not sure." Logan pulled Max closer. "I hope not for his sake. It sounds as though he's happy with Buddy and Mary. Wouldn't want to change that, since I don't remember ever seeing him happy." 

"A chance at a real life was what he wanted." Max agreed. "It would be a shame if Manticore managed to ruin that for him." She couldn't bare for Logan to be in danger either. They were so close to being a normal couple despite the strangeness around them. 

"Let's not think about that today." Logan kissed the top of Max's forehead. "Merry Christmas Max." He wanted to enjoy spending Christmas with his beautiful fiancé. 

"Merry Christmas." Max stopped worrying about Zack, the moment Logan's lips met hers. 

Before they could get too carried away, there was a knock on the door. "Max and Logan stop getting busy. Time to open presents." Joshua knew better than to barge into Max's room, especially when Logan was in there as well. 

"We'll be right out Joshua." Max called out. "I guess we'd better get dressed." She shot Logan a sexy smile. "It's a damn shame to cover that gorgeous body of yours up." 

"Well I guess I could go and open presents without my clothes on." Logan joked, knowing full well that he wasn't that brave and Max wouldn't let him anyway. 

"No way. I'm not the sharing type." Max threw Logan his shirt. "Especially when it comes to my fiancé." She practically lit up like a Christmas Tree every time she said fiancé. "We'd better hurry before Joshua decides to open his presents without us." 

Joshua was waiting patiently for Logan and Max by the Christmas tree he had helped Logan sneak in. Mole had said it was a pointless thing to smuggle in when they were so short on supplies. His argument had been a waste of breath when Logan unloaded the van of supplies he had also brought with him. 

The Terminal City children had also gathered around the Christmas Tree, unsure what they were supposed to do. The whole Christmas thing was completely new to them. Logan walked up to the group holding Max's hand. "So do you guys know why we celebrate Christmas." 

"So that the stores can encourage you to spend a lot of money on gifts for people you don't like, that those people really don't want." One of the children suggested. 

"No, that's just the way it ends up sometimes." Logan chuckled. "It actually started a long time ago. Christmas is actually the birthday of someone that was born on December 25th. He grew up and became a carpenter and then a leader to the people and then he was crucified." Logan decided it would be to hard to explain God to a bunch of youngster that were man made. "He died to take the sins of the world with him. You see, that's why we celebrate Christmas day, because only an incredible person would give his life for a world full of strangers." 

"Yeah, but there's still mean people out there that do bad things." Another child pointed out. "So he died for nothing." 

Logan shook his head. "I don't think he died for nothing. There's a lot of good people out there as well and that's why we try not to do bad things and help those less fortunate than us." 

"So that he didn't die for nothing." A third child spoke up. "Does that include people like us that were made in test tubes as well as normals?" 

Logan smiled at the children. "That includes everybody. So shall we open presents or what?" He laughed as the children and Joshua cheered. "Ok then, let's see, this present has Joshua's name on it." 

Max watched Logan hand the presents out. She could see what a great father he would make one day. Each child played excitedly with the toy they had been gifted with. Max wrapped her arms around Logan's waist. "You know, I've been a good girl all year so do I get a present?" 

Logan flashed her a toothy grin. "Actually you do, but I have your present in my jacket pocket. I was going to give it to you later." He fished a square box out of his pocket and handed it to Max. "I know it's not really appropriate for wearing around this place, but when I saw it, I just had to get it for you." He watched Max's face as she opened the box. 

Max had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. In the box was a gold charm bracelet with one charm on it: an angel. "Logan, it's gorgeous." She threw her arms around him. "Where am I going to hide this so it doesn't get stolen?" 

"Well, I was thinking of finding an apartment nearby and selling my old one, so you could leave it with me when you aren't wearing it." Logan suggested. He felt that he had more than out stayed his welcome at Sandeman's house. Although Joshua was no longer living there, Sandeman himself may at some point want his house back. 

Max considered it for a moment. "Sounds good. I guess that's something else we need to figure out before we get married." 

"We'll figure it out after Christmas." Logan wanted Max to have a good Christmas free of problems. "You want to go for a walk before I get stuck in the kitchen?" 

Max nodded. "Yeah. Let's walk over to Sandeman's. That's where I left your present anyway." It had taken a few trips to several bad guy's houses to get the funds to buy Logan's present. Then she had needed a place to hide it and knew that Logan had trouble finding what was right under his nose, so what better place than the house he was living in. 

"You didn't have to get me anything." Considering the events of the past few months, Logan hadn't thought that Max would have the time, let alone the funds for Christmas shopping. Besides, he was just happy to be able to spend Christmas with Max. 

"I know, but I did anyway." Max took hold of Logan's hand and headed for the exit. "I'm just glad that you're a heavy sleeper so I could sneak your present in, as well as the ones my family sent for you." 

Moments later, Logan stood completely stunned at the sight of the present Max had given him. "How did you find this? How did you afford this?" 

Max had somehow tracked down the painting that his Grandmother had given him and he had sold to pay for a cure for the love buy virus. He had lost the painting and they hadn't got a cure. Thank God Jondy had shown up to help them. 

Max chuckled at Logan's response to her gift. "Aren't you supposed to say thank you, not where did this come from and how much did it cost?" 

Logan pulled Max into a hug. "I'm sorry. I just never expected to see this painting again. Thank you. I love it." He kissed her thank you. 'I love you." He kissed her more deeply. "We'd better head back or dinner is never going to be ready in time. Besides, your mother will wonder where we are." 

"Guess so." Max held onto Logan's hand as they headed back to Terminal City. There had been so many Christmas days in the past that now seemed as though they were nothing but bad dreams. Max had never really looked forward to Christmas until she met Logan. Through him she could really understand the true meaning of Christmas. 

EPILOGUE 

As the darkness decended on Terminal City, the small crowd that still gathered outside the fences, looked on in awe as the lights on the Christmas Tree were switched on. Memories of a pre-pulse Christmas formed in many minds, as the freaks celebrated their first Christmas together. 

Donald Lydecker watched from the outskirts of the crowd. "Merry Christmas Kids." He turned and walked back to his car, chuckling at the ironic turn of events happening before his eyes. Funny how the human celebration of Christmas was actually being celebrated inside the Terminal City fences, not outside. 

He would let them have their Christmas, but tomorrow he was going to find a way to make a bigger and better Manticore. He already had men combing San Francisco for Jondy. Somehow he would find a way. 

_The End_


	36. Wedding Plans

**"Wedding Plans"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Julia, Jondy's children, Corban, Gary and Raewyn however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

Max and Logan try to plan their wedding, find a house and avoid being captured by Lydecker and South Africans.

**Timeframe:**

Follows Freak Nation. Follow up story to The Meaning of Christmas.

**Rating:**

PG - some graphical violence

**Category:**

Action/Adventure, Romance

* * *

Donald Lydecker watched the crowd outside Terminal City. Everyday the crowd got smaller and smaller. It seemed that the transgenics were no longer of any great interest. Even the news team had left just after Christmas. They had stayed long enough to get the lighting of the Christmas Tree inside the Terminal City fences on tape. It appeared that instead of the transgenics signifying the end of the world, they had become the poster children of hope. After all, if supposed monsters could live together in a dump like Terminal City, maybe humans could survive the post-pulse lives that had been dumped in their laps. 

Since Lydecker and the South Africans had kidnapped Logan Cale before Christmas, in a failed attempt to capture X5 452 and X5 210, the transgenics had been even more careful about being spotted outside the Terminal City perimeter. 

Lydecker had thought that he had managed to track down Logan to an apartment in Foggle Towers. However, when he got to the apartment which turned out to be the penthouse, he found that it had been sold. The building manager had told him that Logan had sold the apartment quickly and hadn't left a forwarding address. 

The last time he had seen Max and Logan together, Lydecker had sensed that something had changed. He didn't think it was possible, but Jondy had appeared even more protective of her sister and Logan than before. He couldn't quite put his finger on what the change was, but it was definitely there. 

Shaking his head, Lydecker turned and headed back to the base the South Africans had set up. He would think up a better plan to get hold of Jondy. Having his men turn San Francisco upside down hadn't worked. She had somehow foreseen that move. Still, Lydecker had a few other ideas. Max and Logan couldn't stay away from each other, it was damn near impossible in fact. The easiest way to get to Jondy was still through Max. 

Over the years, without anyone realizing it, Jondy had acquired the knowledge to make a new Manticore work. Lydecker knew she was the key to the success of what he and the South Africans were planning. Glancing one more time at the scene in front of Terminal City, Lydecker climbed into his car and drove back to the base. 

Alec dropped his bag down beside Max, who was sitting watching one of the monitors in the control center. "Jondy and the girls say hi." He hadn't wanted to leave, but Jondy was busy with working and keeping the girls entertained while they were on school holidays. "So what are your plans for New Years?" 

"Not sure at the moment." Max wrote something down on a pad. "So how did you enjoy playing daddy for a few days?" She still didn't look at him. 

"Exhausting." Alec chuckled. "I don't know how Jondy holds down a job at the hospital at night and then manages the children during the day. I know she has Julia to help, but still she does most of the parenting herself." 

"Jondy enjoys a challenge. Why else would she be with you?" Max joked. "I thought you'd stay in Florida until after New Years." She finally looked at Alec. "So why are you back so soon?" 

"I needed some sleep." Alec sat down beside Max. "I got a bit of surprise when I found out Jondy was working as a Doctor in a hospital. The biggest shock was seeing the wedding ring on her finger. The kids tell me that it's so it's harder for Lydecker to find her." 

"Sounds like a smart move." Max saw Joshua walk in the room. "Hey Joshua. There's a hole in the South East fence. Have we got the gear to fix it?" 

Joshua nodded. "I'll go and fix it." He slapped Alec on the back. "How was Florida?" 

"Full of Christmas chaos." Alec smiled up at his friend. "How did your Christmas go? I could barely hear anyone but the kids on the conference call." 

"I got lots of presents." Joshua had himself been as excited as the Terminal City children when it came to opening the presents. 

Max giggled at her friend's enthusiasm. "It seems that the bad guys gave us Christmas off. Although we did spot Lydecker behind the crowd on one of the monitors." 

"I'd better fix that fence." Joshua kissed the top of Max's head. "Don't work too hard little fella." He waved good bye to Alec. "Welcome back Alec." 

"See you later Big Guy." Alec watched the big man walk away. "So is Logan finishing the recreation center?" He hadn't missed the obvious absence of Max's fiancé. 

"Yeah. It opens to the public after New Years." Max knew that she and Logan had a lot to work out before they got married. Any discussions about the wedding had mainly been pushed aside while Logan concentrated on renovations to his Grandmother's Mansion. "He also sold the penthouse the other day. He was surprised at how quickly it sold." 

Alec wasn't surprised. The penthouse was ideal for any rich bachelor. "So are you going to move into Sandeman's with Logan?" He couldn't quite picture Max and Logan playing happy couples in the run down house, plus there was also the possibility that Sandeman may move back to Seattle. 

"No. He's looking for another apartment close to here." Max hated shopping for anything, but it would have been nice to go house hunting with Logan for their home. "He hasn't exactly had a lot of spare time to find anything lately." 

"Well, there's plenty of time." Alec stood and grabbed his bag. "I'll dump my things and then go and help Joshua fix that fence." 

"Thanks." Max went back to checking the monitors in front of her. With her hair having been cut short, she had been able to move around outside the fences without being recognized. Maybe she could risk going outside Terminal City to see Logan. 

Logan packed everything that he didn't need everyday, so that when he finally did move, most of his packing would be done. He had got word that someone fitting Lydecker's description was trying to track him down. Unfortunately, that meant he would have to move house as quickly as possible, before Lydecker discovered his whereabouts. It also meant that he couldn't purchase his new home under his own name. 

The renovations on the mansion had been finished ahead of schedule, but there was still a lot of paper work to be done before it opened as a recreation center. Searching for a new home before New Year's day was an unexpected challenge, but with Lydecker hanging around it was also a necessary one. 

Logan taped the last carton up. It was then he sensed he wasn't alone. Spinning around he found Max watching him. "Hey. How long have you been here?" He kissed her hello. 

"A few seconds." Max had been admiring the view of Logan packing. "Ever since you had that transgenic blood transfusion, I don't seem to be able to sneak up on you like I used to." She kind of missed not being able to watch Logan undetected. 

Logan chuckled. "Yeah, well it's saved me a few heart attacks." He wondered for a moment if it was safe for Max to be there, but then he realized Max was probably safer than he was. "So I was going to try and find us somewhere to live today. Want to come with me?" 

"Sure." Max tried to act as though she didn't care one way or another. The truth was, on her way over there she had been worried that Logan had already found something. 

Logan grabbed his jacket and followed Max out the door. "So is there anything specific you want in our new home?" He had a pretty good idea that Max would be happy with any place as long as they had room for her motorcycle. 

"Not really." Max hadn't really considered what she wanted in a home before, mainly because she hadn't been given a lot of choices. "I liked the penthouse, but as long as there's somewhere I can work on my bike, it doesn't really matter." 

"Sounds good to me." Logan unlocked the car and climbed in. "I've been meaning to talk to you about the wedding. What do you think abut having a quiet registry office wedding that a couple of my relatives can go to and then a bigger wedding with everything you want for your side?" He figured it would be easier that way than trying to explain the transgenics to Bennet and Bitzy. 

Max gave Logan a sheepish smile. "That solves the problem of explaining Joshua walking me down the Isle to your family. That sounds fine to me as long as you don't mind two weddings." 

"I don't mind." If it made Max happy, Logan would have ten weddings. "So what kind of wedding do you want?' At first Logan had thought of Max as a 'no frills' kind of girl when it came to clothes, that was until he had taken her to his cousin Bennet's wedding. She had looked stunning in the dress she had stolen, almost like something out of a fairytale. 

Max chuckled. "I'm not really sure. I mean I never actually pictured myself getting married, so I don't know where to start. Original Cindy refused to wear a lavender dress at the wedding and I can't see Jondy in pink, so I guess that's a beginning of sorts." 

Logan looked in his rear vision mirror and noticed they were being followed. "Why don't you think of a color you like and go from there as far as the bridesmaids dresses go. There's no rule that says your bridesmaids have to be dressed in pastel shades." 

Max hadn't missed the fact that Logan was paying a lot of attention to something behind them. "How long have you noticed that we're being followed?" 

"Only the last block." Logan hadn't wanted to worry Max, but now he realized that she would have picked up that they were being followed sooner or later herself. "I found out that Lydecker's been trying to track me down as well." 

"So you can't buy our new house under your own name." Max pointed to an alleyway. "Go down there, we'll try and lose the tail." 

Logan followed Max's directions. "I've set up a couple of holding companies, so I'll just put it under the name of one of those." He glanced over his shoulder. "I think we lost them. I guess I'd better get a new car as well." 

"I take it this isn't the first time you've been followed." Max wondered if this was what their marriage was going to be like, always running from someone. 

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. I could just be getting a little paranoid because I don't want to be the one who gets you and your family caught. It pays to be cautious anyway. I don't want any uninvited guests turning up at our weddings." 

Max was sure that there was something Logan wasn't telling her, but decided to let it slide this once. "So what are the rules when planning a wedding?" 

"We should probably start by setting a date for both weddings." Logan suggested while keeping an eye out for anyone else following them. "Once we've done that, we can book the registry office. That will be one wedding mostly organized. The bigger wedding will need more organization depending on what you want." He caught the exasperated look on Max's face. "Ok, how about this? Once we've found somewhere to live, we can pick up some bridal magazines and you can see if there's anything in there you like." 

Max considered her options. "Ok. I would call Tinga and Jace and asked them about their weddings, but I get the feeling they planned the quickest, easiest weddings they could so as not to draw any unwanted attention. We've already got unwanted attention so I guess we don't have to worry about that." Max chuckled. "I guess I can call Original Cindy and Jondy. Between the three of us, we should be able to come up with something." 

Logan could see the humor behind asking a lesbian and an unwed mother of fourteen for wedding advice. "Well, it's your big day, so just make sure you get what you want for the wedding." He'd been married before, so Logan knew what it was like to have your wedding organized according to someone else's tastes. Valerie's mother had planned their entire wedding and neither he nor Valerie had liked anything about their wedding. It had not been a good start to their marriage. He wanted better for he and Max. He wanted forever. 

Max glanced at Logan. She sensed he was remembering what a disaster his first marriage had been and wanted better for her. "So what do you want our wedding to be like? I'm not the only one getting married you know." 

"I know." This was a first for Logan, being with a woman who cared what he wanted. "A wedding is more about the bride though. As long as you are there standing next to me in the wedding dress of your choice, I'll be happy." It was the truth. Logan was still amazed that Max had agreed to marry him. He couldn't wait to see her walking down the Isle towards him. 

"You're not being very helpful." Max joked. She figured she could always ask Logan's cousin Bitzy about Logan's first wedding and avoid anything remotely similar to it. 

The rest of the morning passed without any unwanted tag along visitors, mainly because they left Logan's car at the estate agents office and went to view properties in her car. The first couple of places they viewed were far too small. Max had gently pulled Logan aside and pointed out that they would probably need a three bedroom place so that she could work on her motorcycle in one room, while he was working on "Eyes Only" stuff in another. With three bedrooms it would mean they could still have there own space when they needed it. 

Raewyn, the estate agent couldn't figure out why the couple wanted housing so close to Terminal City. "You know I can show you some lovely places in Sector four." 

"No thanks." Max could see the confusion on the estate agent's face. At least she could when Raewyn wasn't checking Logan out. "My fiancé is a journalist, so we want to be close to the action." She saw the other woman back of immediately when Max mentioned the word fiancé. 

"Well, there's one more place I can show you." Raewyn didn't think it would interest the couple, but they hadn't liked anything else she had shown them so it was worth a try. "It's actually more like one big room with an open kitchen and a huge bathroom. Walls could be added or room dividers could be used if it's big enough for what you want." 

"It can't hurt to have a look at it." Logan looked down at Max to see if she agreed. When she nodded, he turned back to Raewyn. "Let's go." 

The place Raewyn took them to was huge, bigger than Logan's apartment at Foggle Towers. The kitchen would be perfect once a couple of preparation benches were put in. The bathroom was huge and room dividers would be fine to begin with. Later once Max and Logan had decided what they needed, they could get permits to build walls where they wanted them. 

Max looked out the window. As they were on the top floor of the building, they got a perfect view into Terminal City's grounds. Smiling to herself, she turned and walked over to Logan, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Is the kitchen big enough for you?" She knew how fussy he was when it came to performing culinary miracles. 

"With a few adjustments it will do." He teased her, kissing her forehead. "How's the view?" He was still a little scared of heights, not as bad as he used to be. 

"It'll do." Max teased back. "We'll need to decide where we want walls and where room dividers will be sufficient." Her mind was already at work building walls where at the moment there was empty space. 

Logan could almost hear the wheels turning in Max's head as she constructed their home. "We'll take it then. Let's get back to your office Raewyn and do the paperwork." He almost laughed at the stunned look on Raewyn's face. 

Back at the estate agents office, Max watched the people walking past outside the window, while Logan filled in all of the paperwork. She saw the garbage man clearing the rubbish bins. "Looks like you're gonna have to get a new car today as well." She chuckled as the garbage man attached something to Logan's car. 

Logan had come to stand behind her. "Well, it seems the city's garbage men are giving the community an added service. Think it's one of Lydecker's people?" He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. "Hey Matt. I need a favor. Could you have my car towed?" 

Max burst out giggling at the thought of Lydecker tracking Logan's car to the police impound lot. "How are we going to get back home without your car?" 

"Like you said, I guess I'm going to have to buy a new car." Logan thanked Matt and switched off his phone. "Is there anything you need from my car before it gets towed?" 

Max smiled up at him. "I've got everything I need right her." She patted Logan on the rear. "Are you finished with the paperwork, cause we should probably leave via the back door. I can see our garbage man has some friends out there." 

"Yeah, let's go car shopping." Logan waved good bye to Raewyn and held the back door open for Max. "I'll get my lawyers to finalize everything tomorrow and then we can see the New Year in while deciding where we are going to put walls in our new home." 

Max walked down the street her arm around Logan's waist. "Are you going to christen our new kitchen? Cause I haven't had a Cale gourmet meal with the chef all to myself in quite a while." 

"I think that can be arranged." Logan had his arm around Max's shoulders. "So when are we going to get married? January is out, cause I don't want to spend the first month of our marriage working on the recreation center opening." 

"How about June?" Max knew they couldn't count on the weather in Seattle, so it would definitely be an indoor wedding. "I'm sort of thinking I haven't seen the last of Sandeman's code appearing on my body, so I'm guessing an off the shoulder dress wouldn't be a good idea." 

"You'll look beautiful even if you're covered in writing." Logan hoped for Max's sake that they had seen the last of the writing. 

"Ain't that sweet?" A voice mocked them from behind. "Just come with us quietly and nobody will get hurt." 

Logan turned to face their enemies. He counted five men, all armed. "That's what you told me last time." Logan moved aside slightly without being obvious. Max would be able to take all five men out, without breaking a sweat. He pointed to Max. "She was real pissed at the state you returned me in and I really don't like upsetting her." 

"Explain to me how that's our problem." The South African in front of them smirked with confidence. "We had trouble tracking you Max. It seems you found a way to remove that implant you had and still managed to stay alive." He pretended to be interested. "We'd sure like to know how you did that." 

"I'll get my sister to show you one day." Max snapped. "She's a miracle in high heels." She spun and kicked the man to her left into the man behind him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Logan grab one man's gun and slam it into his face. Flipping over backwards, Max took the last two men out. "I'll give you this much Logan, shopping is never boring with you." 

Logan collected the five guns and wrapped them in his jacket. "I do what I can and look at it this way, we picked up supplies." He took hold of Max's hand and continued walking down the street. 

Donald Lydecker threw his coffee mug across the room. "So let me get this straight, Corban. They caught you tailing them and lost you. Then you found them again and tagged Cale's car but it got towed and you're not sure which building they were in at the time. They obviously left from the rear of which ever building they were in, as you caught up with them walking down the street. Instead of calling for back up, you got your asses handed to you and your weapons taken. Am I missing anything?" 

"We found out that X5 452's sister removed the implant Sir." Corban was regretting his earlier smugness with the X5. "She said something about her sister being a miracle in high heels." 

"I know that." Lydecker snapped. "That would be the reason we are trying to track down X5 210 via her sister." He started to pace in front of the men. "Let me explain something to all of you about X5 210. She shouldn't even exist. Jondy was a surprise from day one. When she was born, she wasn't expected to live, but she did. She was considered a failed experiment, nobody realized that she was actually storing knowledge. Then one of my men thought it would be a good idea to rape her, since the only thing she was good for was being a distraction. He ended up dead when Zane caught him in the act. Left with serious internal injuries, Jondy wasn't even supposed to be of any use for breeding purposes. Yet a number of years later, she gave birth naturally to twins. Are you getting the picture yet?" Lydecker stopped pacing. "Max and Jondy are twins. Never underestimate either of them." He thought about sending the men back out to ask at every building about Max and Logan, but he figured since they obviously knew they were being tracked that they would have covered their tracks. He would have to think up yet another plan. 

It didn't take long for Logan to buy a car despite Gary, the salesman trying to sell him an expensive sports car. Having lost his trust fund once, Logan was more careful with his purchases. He didn't think for a moment when spending money on Max or her family. But when it came to himself he didn't need a sports car, he just needed something to get him from A to B. 

Max had watched, highly amused as Gary practically tripped over himself trying to sell Logan a car he didn't want. Logan had cast the car yard a quick glance and pointed out a car that interested him to Max. She had checked the car out while Logan politely listened to the salesman's pitch about a ridicously small red sports car. 

Max checked out the car as thoroughly as she did her motorcycle. It suited all of Logan's needs, plus it was big enough for both of them and any children they might have in the future. Not for the first time, Max was touched by how Logan thought of everyone else when making such a simple purchase such as a car. 

As soon as Logan got Max's nod of approval on the car, he quickly and efficiently brought the car and left Gary standing with his mouth gapping open. So stunned was the salesman, that he was still standing in the exact position when Max and Logan drove away in his new car. 

Later that afternoon Logan and Max sat with Original Cindy laughing about their shopping expedition. "Remind me never to go shopping with the two of you. Damn, you go out to find somewhere to live and come back with five guns, a new car and a new home, not to mention a stack of bridal magazines." 

"Well, I need your help planning our wedding." Max stopped laughing long enough to explain. "I figured you and I could call Jondy and see if the three of us could come up with some ideas." 

"You two set a date yet?" Original Cindy had watched Max and Logan drag their relationship out for so long, that actually making wedding plans this soon was unusual to say the least. 

Logan nodded. "Sort of. We thought June. We're going to have a registry office wedding that a few members of my family will go to and then a proper wedding for everyone else." 

"Well, how about I come over to Terminal City in the morning and we can call sister girl so that we can get this show on the road." Original Cindy was amazed they had actually made some arrangements. 

"Do you have any idea where we can have the ceremony, let alone who can perform it." Max wondered out loud. 

"You know, I've been thinking about that." In fact Logan had thought of nothing else since proposing to Max. "Did you know that there was a church in Terminal City?" 

Max nodded . "Yeah, but it needs a lot of work. Still we have six months to fix it up. That just leaves someone to perform the ceremony." 

"Why not ask Herbal to do it." Original Cindy suggested. "He got ordained through some magazine a while back. It's actually legal and everything." 

"I'll ask him if he would mind." Max felt as though they were starting to get somewhere with the planning. "I'd better get back to Terminal City. I left Alec and Joshua fixing the fence." 

Original Cindy hugged her friends good bye. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow. You're going to get your dream wedding, Boo." She knew between Jondy and herself, they would give Max the perfect wedding with everything she wanted. 

Logan noticed on the drive back to Terminal City that Max was rather quiet. "You know, we don't have to have the wedding in Terminal City or Herbal perform the ceremony." In their haste to get some plans made, he felt Max was being rushed into making decisions that she wasn't entirely happy with. 

Max shook her head. "No, I like the idea of a friend performing the ceremony, even though Herbal can be a bit hard to understand. I figure restoring the church in Terminal City will keep some of the family out of trouble for a little while. The more self sufficient Terminal City is, the better I'll feel about not living there. I guess that's really selfish since I convinced a lot of them to stay in the first place." 

"It's not selfish." Logan could see where Max was coming from. She didn't want it to appear that there were a set of rules for her and another set for everyone else. "A lot of the Terminal City clan have no where else to go. Because of what they look like, they would have to spend their lives hiding. In Terminal City they actually live a pretty close to normal life. They have you to thank for that." He could tell from her silence that there was something else wrong. "So are you going to tell me what's really wrong?" 

Max smiled despite herself. "It's stupid." 

Logan chuckled. "So tell me anyway." 

Max rolled her eyes. "Fine, but you'll just laugh." She could see that Logan wasn't going to let this go. "It's just I've looked through these magazines and I can see parts of some dresses that I like, but there's not one dress that I like all of it. Then there's the bridesmaid's dresses. I like some of them but not the matching maid of honor's dress or the matching bride's dress." She could see Logan was struggling not to laugh. "See, I told you it was stupid." 

"It's not stupid." Logan was relieved that it wasn't a more serious problem. "Everything doesn't have to match. You can pick whichever bridesmaids dresses you like in whatever colors you want. As for your dress, why don't you get someone to make the dress up to what you want." 

Max brightened up a little. "That could work and I know someone who would probably be able to make the dresses for me." She knew Jondy made a lot of her own clothes and also outfits for her children. Although Max knew that Logan could afford to pay for the wedding and all of the trimmings that went with it, she had an idea of how to carry the cost herself. She glanced at her watch as they past through Terminal City's hidden entrance. "I'm just going to see if I can catch my sister before she heads to work." 

Before Logan could respond, Max had leapt out of the car and was heading for the control center. "I guess I'll just wait here." Logan muttered to himself. 

"Hey Max!" Alec called out to her. "Where's the fire?" He chuckled as Max raced past him. "Guess you don't want to talk to Jondy then." Max screeched to a stop. Alec handed her his cell phone. "She thought you might want to speak to her before she goes to work." 

Max grabbed the phone. "Hey. I need a favor. Do you have time to make two bride's dresses, one maid of honor dress and four bridesmaid's dresses by June?" 

Jondy laughed. "I was just phoning you to suggest that I make the dresses as a wedding present from Julia, myself and the girls. I figured you wouldn't want Logan to pay for the whole wedding." 

Max laughed as well. "Wow, I guess it's true. Great minds do think alike. That would be fantastic if you could do that. The thing is, I sort of need a dress made up from scratch, cause I like different things from different dresses. O.C. and I were going to go through everything tomorrow." 

"That's fine. We'll work out the details tomorrow and I'll do a sketch of your dress once I get an idea of what you want." Jondy would call the rest of their siblings tomorrow once she knew what Max wanted for her wedding. Between the lot of them, they could split the cost of the wedding. "I'll speak to you tomorrow. I've got to get to work." 

"Thanks Jondy." Max felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "I'll speak to you tomorrow." She hung up the cell phone and handed it back to Alec. 

"So you actually set a date to get hitched." Alec was surprised. He had been sure that Max and Logan's engagement would be as dragged out as much as the rest of their relationship had been. "So I guess we can look forward to a June wedding a couple years from now." 

Max rolled her eyes. "You have six months to help me do up the church at the back of Terminal City, so that I can get married there." She walked off to find Logan, leaving Alec behind completely stunned. 

Logan was sitting on the hood of his car waiting for Max. Matt had phoned him on his cell phone, a few minutes ago. It seemed that Logan's car was attracting a lot of attention at the impound lot. According to the police officer, a group of men claiming to be Logan's personal assistant, lawyer, mechanic and even his father. Matt knew that both of Logan's parents had died a number of years ago. He also knew that Logan guarded his privacy so closely that he never hired a personal assistant. As for the mechanic, Matt had come to know Max quite well and made a pretty good guess that if something mechanical needed fixing, Logan would ask Max to fix it for him. That only left the lawyer who gave himself away by not knowing anything about law. The four men were now in a holding cell downtown. 

As Max approached him, Logan noticed that she appeared to be a lot happier. "So I guess you got hold of Jondy." He held out his arms to hug her. They had spent so much time not being able to touch that he took every opportunity to hug Max or even just hold her hand, that he could. 

Max walked into Logan's welcoming arms. "Yeah. She phoned Alec's cell phone cause she knew I wanted to talk to her. She's going to make all of the dresses as a wedding present. We're going to go over the details tomorrow." 

"You know I don't mind paying for the dresses, right?" Logan had never considered Max's family might pay for their wedding. 

"I know." Max wondered how to say what she was thinking without hurting Logan's feelings. "The thing is, I'm not marrying you for your money. I'm marrying you because I love you and I can't imagine spending even one day without at least a phone call from you. I would like us to have a normal wedding, which I realize will be difficult considering the dogman walking me down the isle. Part of having a normal wedding, so I've heard, is the bride's family paying for the dresses." She paused to take a breath. "I'm marrying you for better or for worse, wheelchair or no wheelchair Logan Cale." 

"It will have to be no wheelchair since your sister fixed that problem." Logan grinned. He should have realized that Max would figure out a way to pay for their wedding. As much as his family would like to paint her as a money grabbing free loader, she couldn't be farther from it. "So, how about I stay here with you tonight. That way I get to spend some time with you before you, Jondy and Original Cindy start working out dress details tomorrow." 

"That's a good idea, but first let's find somewhere to put your new car for safe keeping tonight." Max stepped back out of Logan's arms, but still held onto his hand. "I think I know of somewhere nobody will look." 

The next morning Logan, Alec and Joshua stood in the Terminal City church. Alec looked doubtful. "I don't know, Man. There is a lot of work to be done on this place. Six months is starting to sound like an awfully short time." 

Joshua slapped Alec on the back. "We can do it, if we get some of the others to help." He smiled mischievously. "That is unless you want to explain to Jondy why her twin sister can't get married in this church." 

Logan nodded in agreement. "Of course you know Jondy's temperament better than us Alec. Does she really have a temper to match her hair color?" Logan already knew the answer to that particular question, but it couldn't hurt to make Alec sweat a little. 

Alec didn't have to think twice. "I'll go round up the troops." He hurried out of the church. There were plenty of transgenics only too happy to do something to help Max. The more help he got, the quicker the church would be fixed up to look as good as new. 

Logan watched Alec leave. "So do you think he's over Rachael? Does he really stand a chance at a future with Jondy?" He had become very protective of his future sister in law and when he saw Alec and Jondy together, there was something that wasn't quite right. 

Joshua shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know if Alec's ready to share the responsibilities that Jondy has." Joshua wasn't sure that there was a man alive who could do Jondy justice. 

Logan knew that Joshua wasn't just talking about Jondy's children. Any man who took on Jondy had to be prepared not only to be a father to fourteen children, but also had to be comfortable with the attention she got and the danger that was always lurking around the corner waiting for her. "Maybe someday he will be." He grinned at Joshua. "Let's get started on cleaning up this church." 

Max looked at the sketch Jondy had faxed through to her. "Jondy this is perfect. Are you sure you don't mind making all of these dresses?" Sometimes there were definite bonus' to having a sister who could basically read your mind. 

"O course I don't mind." Jondy's voice bubbled over the speaker. "That reminds me, Zane said to tell you that he's happy to chip in for the cake. In fact I'm pretty sure that between all of our siblings we should be able to throw you the wedding of the year." 

Max was touched by her family's generosity. "That's great. Are you two sure you like the dresses and colors I've picked out for you?" 

Original Cindy raised an eyebrow. "Girl have you ever know either one of us to be quiet when we don't like something?" 

Max shook her head. "I guess you've got a point there. I spoke to Herbal last night and he said he'd be happy to perform the ceremony. Logan, Alec and Joshua are looking at the church at the moment. Let's just hope I don't break out in strange writing on my skin on my wedding day." 

Jondy giggled. "What's the matter sis? You worried you'll be wearing a head to toe make up job?" 

"Something like that." It was then Max realized how lucky she was. She could break out in hives and all of her family would still make sure that she got her perfect wedding day. "So I guess all I have to work out is how Logan's and my wedding will have more security than a royal wedding." 

"You know if you start calling Rich Boy your prince I may vomit." Original Cindy joked. "Although it wouldn't surprise me if Logan has been calling you Princess all this time." 

Max held up her wrist, where the bracelet Logan had given her for Christmas dangled. "Not Princess." The angel hung from the bracelet like a symbol of hope. "Angel. He calls me Angel." 

"That's so sweet." Jondy giggled. "So when exactly does Logan call you Angel?" She got so few opportunities to tease her twin that she couldn't resist. 

"Probably around the same times that Alec calls you Babe." Max teased back. "Thanks for all your help. You know, I'm actually looking forward to the New Year." 

"It's about time Boo." Original Cindy squeezed her friend's hand. "It's about time." 

"Happy New Year Angel." Logan kissed his fiancé in their new home. "Thank God Alec organized the transgenic removal service, otherwise we'd be sleeping on the floor." 

Max took the glass of champagne out of Logan's hand and put it on the candle covered coffee table. "We won't be sleeping Rich Boy. We're seeing this year in with a bang." 

Logan chuckled at Max's use of Original Cindy's nickname for him. "I know better than to argue with you." He swept Max into his arms and carried her over to the bed. Next week the dividing walls would start going up. Things were really coming together for them perfectly. But at this moment Logan was going to do exactly what Max had said, he was going to see the New Year in with a bang. 

_The End_


	37. The Grand Opening

**"The Grand Opening"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Peter, Officer Banks and Tek however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended. 

**Summary:**

The day has come from the Grand Opening of the Emily Cale Recreation Center. Logan finds himself in the lime light and makes drastic changes to get back out of it for the safety of his future in-laws.

**Timeframe:**

Follows Freak Nation, follow up story to Wedding Plans

**Rating:**

PG

**Category:**

Action/Adventure

**Author's Note:**

When Michael Weatherly shaved his head, I could hear the screams of horror as well as a few chuckles of amusement (mainly mine) from female fans around the world. With most of my stories I try and write what I would have like to have seen happen on Dark Angel, especially in Season Three. This is why Max's hair had to be cut in "Flashbacks", to compensate for Jessica Alba cutting her hair. So in a way, I have done the same for the character of Logan in this story. Don't worry, Logan's hair is going to grow back real fast. Thanks for the great feedback so many of you have given me.

* * *

Another building in Terminal City had been restored to working order. The Laundromat was open for business. The church was well on it's way to being repaired. By the time Max and Logan's June wedding came around, it would be perfectly restored right down to the last detail. 

As Max sanded down one of the pews so that it could be revanished, she mentally went through the list of buildings that still needed some TLC so that Terminal City could be fully functional. Each of the Transgenics had taken responsibility for a building that best suited their strongest skills. Considering they had all been trained to be killing machines, it was easier said than done, but they were getting there. 

Joshua worked silently beside Max. He was watching her out of the corner of his eye. As far as he was concerned, the church had to be perfect for her and Logan. Unlike some of the other Transgenics, Joshua understood just how much of their life together Max and Logan had given up to make the world safer for the Transgenics. "So is Logan excited about the opening of the Recreation Center?" 

Max smiled at her canine friend. "He's really nervous actually. The Press will be there and he has to give a speech. Logan hates public speaking. Strange huh? I mean considering the cable hacks he does." 

"It's different." Joshua chuckled. "With the cable hacks he can't see his audience. At the opening of the recreation center, he will be able to see the people who are listening to him." 

"I guess." For someone who had spent most of his life living in a basement, Joshua could be incredibly world wise. Max went back to sanding the pew. "Still, he's rehearsed his speech so often that he's mumbling it in his sleep." 

"It'll be over by Saturday night." Joshua reminded her. "Then the two of you can concentrate on your wedding." He had never been to a wedding before, let alone walked the bride down the Isle. So he was getting more excited about the wedding than Max and Logan were. 

Max kept her amusement over Joshua's obvious excitement to herself. The pre wedding jitters, as Original Cindy called them, hadn't started for Max or Logan yet. Max reasoned that it was probably because they were both too busy at the moment to put too much thought into their upcoming nuptials. 

Terminal City was becoming more and more packed everyday. In a way it was almost a relief that Max was spending so much time in her and Logan's new home. It meant that her quarters were free for someone else to use. 

Zane had spent the weekend in Seattle just after New Years and had helped set up a device in the new apartment so that the tracking device White had armed the city with to find Transgenics, would be rendered useless. He was also working on scaling down the device so that it would fit into somebody's pocket. That way the more human looking Transgenics would be able to live outside the Terminal City fences. 

Logan nervously walked around the finished recreation center. Everything looked perfect, but he was still nervous about the opening. He heard footsteps coming from behind him. "So what do you think Peter? Are we really ready for the Grand Opening?" 

Peter, Emily Cale's former butler smiled and nodded. "Your Grandmother would have been so proud of you, Sir." Despite Logan insisting that Peter call him by his first name, the older man found the old habit hard to break. "Surely you're not nervous about making your speech." 

Logan grinned sheepishly. "Max says I'm actually reciting it in my sleep. I guess I just want this to go perfectly, seeing as the Recreation Center has my Grandmother's name on it." 

"It will do." Peter reassured him. "How is Miss Guevara? I haven't seen her around here very much." He hadn't seen her in fact, since he had switched the television on one night and recognized her as the woman riding the hover drone into the Jam Pony building. He had always known there was something special about Max and her family. Despite news reports to the contrary, Peter chose to believe 'Eyes Only' reports on the Transgenics. After all, he had never seen Max or her family attack anyone unless provoked and even then no one had ever been killed. 

"She's been pretty busy with her family." Logan kept his response vague. "We both knew when I took on changing this place into a Recreation Center that we wouldn't see much of each other. Once Saturday's over, hopefully we can get back to our old lives." 

"Good luck to you Sir." Peter shook Logan's hand. "She's a wonderful woman. Mrs Cale was very fond of her." 

"Thank you Peter." Logan cast the building one more quick look. "See you on Saturday." He headed for the door, leaving Peter to lock up. He wanted to make sure the builders had finished putting up the last of the dividing walls in the apartment. 

A newspaper landed on the file that Lydecker was reading. "I take it there's something you want me to read, Zeak." He cast his South African friend an icy look. 

"Check the entertainment section." Zeak leaned against the doorway, his arms folded in front of him. "It looks as though Mr Cale is quite the celebrity. This could be the perfect opportunity to get the girl." 

"The Emily Cale Recreation Center." Lydecker quickly scanned the article. "We'll have to grab Cale after the opening. We risk exposure if the press see anything. I doubt Max or Jondy will turn up at such a high profile event. Too risky, especially since every hover drone in the city is fitted with a Transgenic tracking device." He glared up at Zeak. "This time make sure that Cale isn't harmed in anyway. That includes him tripping over his own feet and banging his face on any doors." 

Zeak grinned. "We'll wrap him up in cotton wool and treat him as though he were a priceless statue." 

"You do that." Lydecker warned. If they didn't get hold of Jondy, he had come up with another alternative. He had recently located Sandeman's son CJ. If plan A didn't work this time, he had a plan B. He would use Sandeman's son and get Sandeman to recreate his work at Manticore. 

"Honey, I'm home." Max bellowed as she let herself into their apartment. She was covered from head to toe in saw dust. Despite the state she was in or perhaps because of it, Max felt as though she had accomplished a lot today. The fragrant aromas of a Cale Culinary miracle came floating to her from the kitchen. "Hey, what's for dinner?" 

"What? No how was your day? Just straight to what's for dinner." Logan teased her. Turning from the stove he saw his dust covered fiancé checking on the newly in stored walls. It struck him how no matter what condition Max was in, she was still incredibly beautiful. "You've been busy haven't you. How's the church looking?" He kissed her hello. 

"It's slowly coming together. What about the Recreation Center?" Max wrapped her arms around Logan's waist getting sawdust all over his clothes. 

"I think it's as ready as it's going to be." Logan rested his chin on the top of Max's head. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Did you want to take a shower and change?" 

Max shook her head causing dust to fly everywhere. "I'll wait until after dinner and take a bath. Want to scrub my back for me." She stepped back and looked up into Logan's face. She wondered if there would ever be a day when she wouldn't be amazed at the unconditional love she always saw, when she looked into Logan's eyes. 

"How can I possibly turn down an invitation like that?" Logan reluctantly let go of his fiancé. "I'd best finish dinner so you can have your bath." 

Later as they settled in the tub with candles lit around them, they discussed the events of their days. To Max, they almost seemed like the normal couples that she had read about in books. To Logan it was as though he had finally found the part of his life that had been missing for so long. 

They made love in their bedroom which now had four walls and a door. Laying in the darkness in each others arms, Max thought back to something she had said to Logan on the way to his cousin Bennett's wedding. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. "I was wrong." 

Logan frowned, confused. "About what?" 

"About weddings just being a public humiliation." She snuggled closer to Logan. "Joshua is so excited about the wedding and walking me down the Isle. I realized that this wedding isn't just for us, it's for our friends and family as well." 

"I guess that's not always easy to see." Logan admitted. "Especially when there are so many divorces in the world. But you know what? I have faith that our marriage will last the distance." 

"Me too." Max thought about everything they had been through since they had first met. Logan being shot and ending up in a wheelchair, her seizures, his ending up in hospital, Max getting captured and taken back to Manticore. Then of course there was Logan getting the use of his legs back, the love bug virus, an entire year of not being able to touch, Logan being rushed back to hospital on several occasions, Max being hit by a truck and losing their child. They had been to Hell and back and they were still together. Deep down inside, Max knew that their marriage would take a lot of hard work, but like Logan, she had faith that their marriage would last the distance. 

Saturday morning came and Logan was more nervous than ever. Max sat on the bathroom vanity watching Logan trying to tie the knot in his tie properly. "I don't know why you are so nervous. You know your speech inside out, backwards and forwards. Hell, I know your speech so well I can even recite it in my sleep." She took over working on Logan's tie. 

"I wish I could do this with you standing beside me, but I know we can't risk anyone recognizing you from the Jam Pony hostage event months ago." Logan would have loved to have Max standing beside him, holding his hand. But the risk was too great. 

"So just pretend we're back at your cousin's wedding and I'm feeding you the lines of your speech." She tugged on his tie to bring him closer. "I promise this evening will turn out a lot different to that one." She started nibbling Logan's neck. 

Logan chuckled. "I'm never leaving this apartment if you keep doing that." He kissed Max on the lips before heading out the door. "Here goes nothing." 

Max washed up and got dressed and walked into the living room. She was surprised to see her brothers and sisters sitting waiting for her. "Hey, what are you guys doing here?" 

Jondy stood up from her seat on Alec's lap. "Well, I need you to try on wedding dress number one and see if it's what you want." She handed Max a dress bag. 

Zane moved to stand beside his redheaded sister. "And the rest of us wanted to attend the opening of the recreation center." He and Krit had already scouted the recreation center and decided they could get a good view from sitting on the surrounding wall. 

Max eyed her siblings up suspiciously. "Why do I get the impression that you guys have this all worked out. Have you forgotten that Lydecker is looking to force Jondy to be his Doctor Frankenstein?" 

Krit put his arm around Max. "No we haven't forgotten that. What we also haven't forgotten is that Lydecker will go after Logan to get to you and Jondy." 

"So we thought it would be safer if we could keep an eye on all three of you." Syl took the dress bag off of Max and gently pushed Max towards the bedroom. "Now hurry up and try this dress on so that we can go and be supportive to our future brother-in-low." 

"God, when did you get so bossy Syl." Max joked with her sister. The truth was, she was eager to see what Jondy had come up with. She slipped the dress over her head and zipped it up. 

Tinga banged on the bedroom door. "Come on out. Let's see what you picked out to get married at the registry office in." When Max opened the door, Tinga's jaw dropped. "Wow." 

Jace came to see what Tinga's reaction was about. "You look gorgeous Max. So that's the dress you're wearing for your first wedding." 

Max walked into the living room. "It feels as though it fits perfectly, but I think the hem needs taking up." The dress was scarlet, the bodice fitted like a glove and finished in a V where the straight skirt flowed down to the floor. The neckline was heart shaped, but was held up with straps that sat criss crossed over Max's chest and did up behind her neck, covering her barcode. 

Alec burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, but Logan's never gonna get his wedding vows out with you wearing that dress. The priest will probably hit on you." He saw Jondy watching him. "What?" 

"You are so not getting any this trip." Jondy knelt in front of Max and started to pin up the hem, while the rest of her siblings doubled over laughing at Alec. "So is Logan still nervous about his speech?" 

"Yeah." Max stood still while Jondy pinned up the hem of her dress. "I'm not sure if us being there will make him more nervous or less." 

Zane handed Max a small object that looked like a makeup compact. "Make sure you have this on you somewhere. We don't want the hover drones telling the Seattle police that Transgenics are attending the party." 

Krit glanced at his watch. "What time does this thing start? We've worked out escape routes, but I'd feel better if we could be sure that we can still get to them." 

Jondy stood and took a step back. "How's that Max? Do you want the hem up a bit further?" 

Max made sure that she could walk comfortably in the dress before giving an answer. "No, this is great. I'll just go and get changed and then we can head for the Recreation Center." 

Logan groaned when he caught sight of the crowd assembled outside. "God, I hate giving speeches." He caught sight of Matt Sung and Detective Clemente amongst the crowd. That was a sure sign the police expected trouble. But it was another face in the crowd that made Logan's blood run cold: Donald Lydecker. 

"Is something wrong Sir?" Peter stood at Logan's side for support. He had noticed the color completely drain from Logan's face. He searched the crowd for whatever had disturbed the younger man. "Wasn't that man at Mrs Cale's funeral? I had assumed he was a friend of yours and Miss Guevara." 

"No." Logan shook his head. "At best he was an acquaintance. The fact that he's here is not good. He's a danger to Max and her family. The problem is, there was a while when we almost trusted him." 

"Miss Jessica didn't." Peter chuckled at Logan's surprised expression. "At your Grandmother's funeral, she caught my eye. I'm still not sure what made me watch her during the service, but she had this sense about her that she was watching over everyone. I noticed that she was watching him out of the corner of her eye as though she expected him to pounce." 

"Max and her family had a difficult childhood, mainly because of Donald Lydecker." Logan's expression could only be described as grave. "He tried to get to Jessica through Max and I, not long ago." 

Peter pointed to some figures sitting like cats on the wall. "In that case I suggest you get on with your speech so that you can get them home." He had to admire Max's family for showing their support for Logan, when they knew that it could be dangerous. 

Logan looked to see what Peter was pointing at. "They've positioned themselves so that they can get out of here quickly." He quickly dialed a cell phone number and waited for the call to be picked up. "Hey, it's Logan. I'm glad you're all here but Lydecker is in the crowd so I'm guessing the South Africans are surrounding the building." He watched Jondy hand her cell phone to Max before walking along the wall with Zane and Alec. 

"Hey Babe. How are the nerves." Max scanned the crowd as she spoke to Logan. She nudged Krit and gestured with her head to a group who were obviously Lydecker's men judging from the hardware they were carrying. 

"They got a whole lot worse when I spotted Lydecker in the crowd." Logan saw Krit leap off of the wall into the crowd. "Where do your siblings keep disappearing to?" He saw Jondy, Zane and Alec return. 

Max listened to Jondy for a moment before answering Logan. "They're just checking out the escape routes they've got planned. You can't get out the back way, so as soon as you've done your speech and cut the ribbon, go and wait for Krit in the foyer. He's on his way now." 

"I don't like the idea of you being this close to Lydecker." Logan's nerves at having to make a speech disappeared instantly and were replaced with a fear for his family's safety. "Be careful." He saw Krit appear in the foyer. "I love you Angel." 

"I love you too." Max smiled to herself. "Now go out there and do your Grandmother proud." She was more worried about Logan getting caught than she was herself. "So J, how many lives have you got left." 

Jondy knew that Max making jokes about their feline DNA, was just a cover up for how scared she was feeling at that moment. "I think about four and I'm not wasting any of them on Lydecker." She reached out and squeezed Max's hand. "Logan's going to be fine." 

Zane watched Jondy for any signals concerning Max. He knew his priority had to be getting Jondy and Max home safely. When Jondy caught his eye and shook her head it was all he needed to know that Jondy would watch Max's back knowing that Zane would be watching hers. "Alec, can you and Syl back Krit up?" 

Alec really didn't want to leave Jondy, but he also knew how protective Zane was of Jondy. She couldn't be in safer hands. "Sure. See ya back at Terminal City." 

Syl followed Alec down off of the wall and into the crowd. "We should have left Lydecker rotting in the woods. He's like a bad luck charm." 

"Yeah, I know." Alec was only half listening. There was something about the silent conversation Jondy and Zane seem to have that bothered him. "Tell me something Syl. You've known Max and Logan together as a couple longer than I have. What's usually Max's first reaction when Logan's life is in danger." He had his suspicions but he needed them confirmed by someone else. 

Syl shrugged her shoulders. "You're better asking Original Cindy or Jondy that. I guess when Lydecker or Manticore is involved, the first thing she does is blame herself." 

"You got that right Boo." Original Cindy walked up beside them. "Quickly followed by saving his ass and finishing up with Max running away. Usually because she feels it's too dangerous for Logan to be around her." 

"That's pretty much what I figured." Alec cast Jondy a glance over his shoulder. "I think Jondy and Zane are ensuring she doesn't run this time. Although I'm not sure how we're going to get Logan out of here." 

"The same way we get in and out of everywhere else." Syl grinned slyly. "We'll use the window or roof." She turned to Original Cindy. "You're not scared of heights are you?" 

Original Cindy shook her head. "No, but Logan is. I'm still not sure how Jondy and Zane got him to climb down the side of the hospital that time Max ended up there with that virus." 

"Jondy talked him through the climb." Syl remembered all too well, the look of sheer terror on Logan's face when Jondy and Zane swung him out the window. "She has an unusual affect on people." 

"Yeah, especially men." Alec muttered as they joined Krit in the foyer. 

Logan walked out to the front entrance and paused long enough so that he had everyone's attention. "Thank you all for coming today." He kept his focus completely on Max. "My late Grandmother, Emily Cale used to enjoy the simple things in life. The sound of a child's laughter would brighten an otherwise dreary day for her, which is why she immersed herself in so many children's charities. She saw everyone as an equal no matter their station in life. So when she passed away last year and left me her home, I felt it only right to carry on my Grandmother's favorite past time, helping others. It is with great honor I give you the Emily Cale Recreation Center." He cut the red ribbon that was hung across the door. 

The applause was deafening. It was as though Seattle had found a hero. Somebody had finally showed them that there were people in the world that cared about someone other than themselves. 

As the crowd pushed forward to get closer to their new hero, Krit reached around the doorway and pulled Logan inside. "I think it's time we left." He turned to Peter. "Can you handle things from here? I promised my sister I'd get Logan home safely." 

Peter nodded. "Of course. In fact I think that would be a good idea. The Press look ready to attack." Peter moved forward to take on the Press onslaught. 

Syl observed the crowd following Logan's every move. "This isn't going to work. We need to disguise Logan somehow." 

Alec rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I left my secret disguise case at home." An idea suddenly popped into his head. "Logan, how fast does your hair grow back?" 

Logan frowned for a moment, then realized what Alec's plan was. "Max is so going to kill you if I shave my head." 

"How else are we going to get you out of here." Alec held his hand out for the plastic razor he had seen Krit shove in his pocket when he had finished shaving that morning. The X5's had learnt to travel light over the years. "Come on, this won't hurt. At least it won't hurt you. I, on the other hand am going to get my ass seriously kicked." 

Krit chuckled as he helped pull Logan into the nearest bathroom. "Maybe Jondy will speak up on your behalf Alec. After she stops screaming of course." 

A few minutes later Krit, Alec, Syl and Logan calmly walked out of the building past the crowd and got into the car which Original Cindy had waiting and running. Original Cindy took one look at Logan's bald head and turned to Alec. "You are so dead when Max sees that." 

Logan actually felt slightly sorry for Alec. "We didn't have much choice. There was no way we were going to get past the crowd and Lydecker." He shrugged his shoulders. "It'll grow back." 

Up on the wall Zane chuckled to himself as he watched Original Cindy drive the others out of the way. "Let's go. Logan's safe." 

Max's first thought was, now that Logan was safe, she should get out of Seattle and stop putting his life in danger. As she moved to make a run for it, Jondy reached out and grabbed her arm. "What?" 

"Even if you run, Logan will always be in danger because of who he is." Jondy could read her sister like a book. "At least with you by his side, he's got the back up of at least eight X5's." She looked over her shoulder at her brother. "What is so funny?" 

Zane signaled Jace and Tinga who were sitting further down on the wall. "Logan had to disguise himself so that he could get out of here." 

Max was confused. "What's funny about Logan disguising himself?" 

Zane didn't get a chance to answer as Lydecker spotted the X5's on the wall. When Corban saw what Lydecker was looking at he fired the taser gun he had hidden under his jacket. Jondy pushed Max out of the way of the taser, but ended up getting hit herself. As she toppled off of the wall, Zane leapt down and caught her before she hit the ground. 

Lydecker grabbed Corban by the collar. "You idiot. There are police officers all through this crowd. Get out of here and start praying that you didn't hurt one of my kids." He shoved the man aside and pulled a walkie talkie out of his pocket. "The X5 woman we want has disappeared over the south side wall. Approach with caution, she may be injured." 

He started to make his way through the crowd, the memory of Jondy falling from the wall playing over and over in his head. He couldn't be sure, but the taser that had zapped out of Corban's gun didn't have the same appearance that he usually saw when the weapon was set on stun. Of course his eyes could be playing tricks on him. He cast his eyes across the crowd looking for more of his men and saw that Detective Sung had arrested Corban. "Damn it." 

The moment the taser hit her, Jondy's self defense mechanism to black out clicked in, like a porcupine rolling into a ball. She knew Zane wouldn't let her hit the ground, but she also knew the taser gun that had been fired at Max hadn't been set for stun. 

Seconds after Zane had caught Jondy, Tinga and Jace pulled up in the van that they had borrowed from Terminal City. Max opened the door and followed Zane carrying Jondy into the back of the van and closed the door behind them. Tinga floored the gas pedal as a group of South Africans surrounded the van. The men went flying in all directions in their haste to get out of the way of the van. 

Zane looked over at Max. "Any idea how badly she's hurt?" He had noticed a tear in the front of Jondy's coat, but he was hoping it was caused by her fall from the wall, not the taser. 

Max had gone quite pale. "I think it's bad Zane. That gun wasn't set on stun." She pushed the torn material of her sister's jacket aside. "Damn it. There's a burn mark down the front of her torso, like she's been struck by lightening." Sweeping Jondy's copper colored hair aside, she saw the burn started on her sister's neck a few centimeters below her chin. 

"Tinga, change of plans." Zane wished Jondy would open her eyes and tell them what to do. At least she hadn't stopped breathing, yet another of her self defense tricks. "We're heading back to Max and Logan's. We need to get Jondy under running water." 

Tinga turned down a side road making sure that they weren't being followed. "What's wrong Zane?" She was getting worried that she and Jace hadn't heard a sound out of Jondy. 

Zane took a look for himself to see how bad the burn was. The edges of the material around the injury had melted and were beginning to stick to Jondy's skin. "J's hurt pretty bad. We need to stop the burn from getting any worse." He quickly removed Jondy's coat and top before the melted material set on her skin. Jondy's arm had blocked the taser enough to ensure that her bra was still intact. 

Jace peered into the back of the van. "Damn, I thought Lydecker would have insisted his men have their guns set on stun." She turned back around in her seat and kept her eyes on the van's wing mirror. The last thing they needed right now was for Lydecker to catch up with them. 

Donald Lydecker walked calmly up to the Terminal City fences. After Corban had been arrested and the rest of his men had let the X5's get away, he decided the next logical place to look was Terminal City. "Hey!" He called out to a Transgenic patrolling the grounds. "Is Jondy alright?" 

Tek frowned as he recognized the man outside the fence. "She was last time I saw her. That was before Christmas though. Why? What did you do to her this time?" 

Lydecker turned away from the fence and walked back to his car. Once again Jondy had managed to disappear right in front of his face, along with Max and Logan. 

Tek walked into the command center. "Hey, I think there might be a problem." He stood in front of Logan, Alec, Krit and Syl. "And I'm not talking about your new haircut Logan. Lydecker was just out front asking if Jondy was hurt. It could be a trap, but he looked pretty concerned." 

Alec quickly pulled the cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Jondy's cell number. "I bet he's concerned. If Jondy's hurt, he's lost the main component to getting Manticore up and running again." He let the phone ring a number of times before hanging up. "She's not answering." 

Logan nodded at the monitors. "See if there's anything on the news. I'll see if I can get hold of Max." He dialed Max's cell number on his own phone. A sense of relief flowed over him when she answered on the second ring. "Where are you?" He could hear running water in the background. 

"We're at home." Max could see her now conscious sister was in a lot of pain. Zane was keeping her standing upright in the shower. "Can you pick up some gauze, bandages and burn cream on your way home?" 

"Are you alright?" Just as Logan asked the question, Mole managed to get a news report on one of the monitors. One of the news cameras at the Recreation Center had managed to get everything that had happened on tape, including Max trying to run once she knew Logan was safe. "Is Jondy alright?" he saw the fear cross Alec's face. 

"I'm fine, but Jondy looks as though she got struck by lightening. Can you hurry back here?" Max's voice trembled. "Lydecker's never going to leave us alone, is he?" 

"Max, we're on our way." Logan was already heading for the door. "We will find a way around Lydecker. I refuse to let that monster ruin our life together because he wants to play mad scientist." He hung up his phone and climbed into the car where Original Cindy was waiting. 

"Where we heading Boo?" Original Cindy started the engine and headed for the rear exit. 

"Pharmacy, then back to my place." Logan quickly filled the others in on his conversation with Max. "So it sounds like Jondy's pretty badly burnt." 

Krit had Syl balanced on his lap in the back of the car. "I don't want to alarm anyone, but that gun can't have been set on stun." Krit shrugged his shoulders. "I could be wrong, but I don't see Lydecker giving the order to shoot to kill." 

Syl nodded in agreement. "It defeats the purpose. Jondy's no good to him dead." 

"The shot wasn't meant for Jondy. It was meant for Max." Logan knew Alec had seen Jondy push Max out of the way as he had. 

Jace walked into the bathroom with a cup of coffee for Max and Zane. "You three are on the news. Somebody got the whole thing on tape. The guy who shot at you Max, is in police custody." She saw the shock on Max's face. "You didn't realize he was aiming for you?" 

Max shook her head. "I'm a danger to everyone." 

"Don't start that crap again." Jondy growled through chattering teeth. "You are not a danger to anyone. Lydecker is a danger to everyone, Transgenic and human. If we weren't around to bother, then he would just go after some innocent person for the hell of it. You running away Max, is not going to keep any of us safe." 

The sound of the door opening and Tinga's cry of "Oh my God!", came echoing through the apartment. Before anyone in the bathroom could move, Alec came rushing into the bathroom. He took one look at Jondy's half dressed body and peeled off his jacket and shoes. "I'll take over Zane." 

Zane stepped out of the shower, only letting go of Jondy when Alec had hold of her. "What was Tinga yelling at?" At that moment Logan walked in. "Oh yeah, I'd forgotten I'd seen that.' 

"Where the hell is your hair?" Max demanded even though she still thought Logan looked sexy as hell with or without hair. "This had to be your idea Alec." She glared at Alec before turning back to Logan. "Please tell me it's going to grow back by June." 

"So you're intending to stick around and marry me then." Logan knew he sounded bitter, but he couldn't keep trying to convince Max not to run from him at the first sign of danger. He had thought they had got past that by now. 

"You saw the news." Max guessed as she saw the hurt look in Logan's crystal blue eyes as he nodded. "I'll make you a deal, I can't guarantee I won't run, but if I do run you have to run with me." She knew she couldn't make up for what Logan had obviously seen on the news, but she was going to try. 

"Ok." Logan knew Jondy had probably talked Max out of running away. He also knew that this was part of being with Max, accepting that she had fears as well and helping her get past them. "How long's Jondy been in the shower?" He unpacked the bag from the pharmacy. 

"Long enough." Jondy mumbled. Just then she caught sight of Logan's shaved head and burst out giggling. "Now I know what Zane was laughing at." 

Logan handed Alec a towel to dry Jondy off. "It's just as well you like it, cause Alec was the one who shaved my head." He gestured to the living room. "I think it would be better if we dressed the wounds in the living room. The light's better in there." 

Alec carefully wrapped Jondy in a huge towel and carried her into the living room where the others were waiting. He took the bathrobe Max handed him and went to change out of the wet clothes. 

Logan had become skilled at dressing the wounds of the various X5's. Very gently he applied the burn cream to the angry red zig zag that darkened Jondy's pale skin. "Thanks for saving my fiancé by the way." 

Jondy managed a weak smile. "No problem. I vote that somebody else gets burnt next time." She joked. "You know your way around my body far too well." 

Logan chuckled. "Well, we keep telling you to dodge bullets and tasers." He joked back. "So you really like my new hair cut?" 

Jondy winced slightly as Logan applied the gauze. "It's a bit of a shock at first, but it grows on you. I wouldn't try this look at your wedding though." 

Logan stood as Alec came back into the room. "Why don't you finish up here, while I go and find you and Zane some dry clothes." 

Alec nodded as he took Logan's seat in front of Jondy. "So how bad are you hurt, really?" He looked into Jondy's sky blue eyes. 

"I'll heal." Jondy reassured him. "It's lucky this happened in Winter while I was wearing a heavy coat. It would have been so much worse in Summer." 

In the bedroom Logan pulled a couple of sweatshirts and two pairs of jeans out for Zane and Alec. Max quietly walked into the room and sorted out some clothes for Jondy. They moved in silence, knowing that they needed to talk things through but not really knowing what to say. 

Finally, Logan broke the silence. "Do you still want to marry me Max? Cause despite the danger we always seem to be in, I do want to marry you. I have lived life without you remember, and I don't ever want to do that again. I will run with you if you need to run. What I can't do is leave this apartment wondering if I'm going to come home and find you've run without me." 

Max sank down on the bed. "I do still want to marry you, more than anything else in the world. I can't help feeling that I keep putting you in unnecessary danger. Jondy pointed out just before you got home though, that Lydecker is the cause of all the danger you and I end up in. Even if I did run, he would just go after someone else. I wouldn't be helping anyone by running." 

"Are you going to listen to your sister?" Logan was practically holding his breath for her answer. He needed Max like he needed oxygen to breathe. 

"She's never put me wrong yet." Max dared to look at Logan's face. "Your hair had better be back by June though or the wedding's off." 

Logan pulled Max into his arms. "It's a deal." He kissed Max as though they had been parted for years instead of a couple of hours. Finally he pulled back slightly. "How did your family all get here. I didn't see any cars when O.C drove us back here." 

"Krit borrowed a plane and flew everyone in." Max started nibbling on Logan's neck. "He's flying them all back tonight." 

"Before you two start banging the gong in there." Original Cindy's voice bellowed from the other side of the door. "Could you pass out the dry clothes. The siblings are trying to head home. Not that your sister doesn't look good in her underwear, but there's two half dressed males out here as well." 

The bedroom door opened and the clothes came flying out before the door slammed closed again. Jace chuckled as she picked up the clothes. "So I'm guessing they're not going to notice if we leave." 

Tinga helped Jondy put one of Max's tops on. "Those two won't even notice if world war three starts. Are you alright to head home J?" 

Jondy nodded as she pulled on the dry jeans one handed and grinned as Alec helped her do up all of her buttons. "I don't have work until Monday night. I should have started healing by then." 

Logan's cell phone which was sitting on the coffee table started ringing. Krit picked it up and answered it without thinking. His face lost it's cheerful expression when he recognized the voice on the other end. "What do you want Lydecker?" 

"Your sisters. Are they alright?" Donald Lydecker signaled to the man beside him to start tracing the call. 

"No." Krit thought fast. He knew Lydecker would try tracing the call. "I don't know what that gun was set on, but it burnt a hole straight through Jondy .... And Max. Congratulations Deck. You killed two of your kids." He hung the phone up. 

"Think that'll work?" Syl held up Jondy's coat for her to slip into. 

"Even if it doesn't," Zane pulled his own coat on. "I'd still hate to be the guy that fired the gun when Lydecker gets hold of him." 

"Come on, I'll drop you off at the plane." Original Cindy held her hand out for the van keys, dropping Logan's car keys on the coffee table. She looked over her shoulder at Alec. "I'm guessing you're going home with Sister Girl." 

"Yeah, just for a couple of days." Alec picked up the dress bag with Max's wedding dress in. "Can we go right now, cause I'm starting to hear noises coming from the bedroom that I really don't want to hear." 

Jondy chuckled as she leaned on Alec for support and walked out the door. "I don't think Max will be running from Logan for quite a while." 

Down at the police station Detectives Sung and Clemente were making out their reports on the incident at the Recreation Center. 

"Excuse me, Sirs." A young officer walked up to the two detectives. "The prisoner you brought in for the shooting at the Emily Cale Recreation Center ...." 

"What about him Banks?" Clemente looked up at Officer Banks. 

"He hung himself in his cell." Officer Banks stood waiting for further orders. 

Matt Sung slumped back in his chair. "Well, that's the end of that case. No victim and no shooter. Not even a reason for the shooting." 

Clemente rubbed his head. "I wish I could remember where I've seen those two women before." He waved Banks away. "That will be all Banks. We no longer have a case." 

_The End_


	38. Memories

**"Memories"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Tina, Hospital Receptionist, Julia, Raymond, Edwin, Wendy, Jondy's children and Tek however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

Zack comes face to face with Jondy and Zane in Florida triggering some past memories, while Terminal City is fast running out of room to house the new arrivals.

**Spoilers:**

Season one, Some Assembly Required, Follows Freak Nation, follow up story to The Grand Opening.

**Rating:**

PG

**Category:**

Action/Adventure, Drama

* * *

The phone ringing in the middle of the night jerked Adam from another of the strange dreams he had been having since returning to the farm after his accident. It had featured the redhead with the amazing blue eyes and a man. The man had brown hair which shone with red highlights in the sun. His arms were covered with tattoos and his brown eyes issued a warning to anyone who would come near the woman. At first Adam had thought the man and woman were lovers, but towards the end of his dream, he got the impression that they were more like brother and sister.

He shook his head as he answered the phone to clear his head of the dream. Picking up the phone, Adam wondered who would be calling at this time of night. "Hello?"

"Hello. This is Florida Medical. We have a Bernard and Mary Jacobs just brought into the hospital. Is there a family member I can speak to?" The voice on the other end was very polite and professional.

Adam thought quickly. Buddy and Mary had no children, so there was nobody to dispute what he was about to say. "I'm their son Adam. Are they alright?"

The voice on the other end of the phone carried on speaking as though Adam were just another customer. "Doctor Saunders is with them at the moment. Mr Jacobs seems to have just a few cuts and bruises, but we should know more when you get here."

"What about Mom?" Adam felt so out of control and that brought with it a feeling of sheer panic.

"As I said Sir, we will know more by the time you get here." The voice took on a slightly irritated tone.

Adam hung up without saying goodbye. Leaping out of bed, he pulled on some clothes and stuffed a change of clothes in a bag. After letting one of the farm hands know what was happening, he climbed in a truck and headed for Florida, praying that he wasn't already too late. He couldn't lose the only family he knew.

Alec went flying backwards into the wall of the control center at Terminal City. "Hey, I had to shave Logan's head. We had no other way to get him out of the Recreation Center safely." He held his hands up to stop Max as she approached him. "Think of it this way. His bald head is a solar panel for his sex machine." His comment only earnt him a punch in the nose. "Ow, I read it on a T-shirt."

Logan walked in at that moment. "Hey Alec. How's Jondy?" He was too wrapped up in his bride to be, to notice she was beating the crap out of Alec.

Alec slowly got to his feet. "She says she's fine, but I think that burn is still pretty painful. She went straight back to work when we got to Florida as though nothing had happened." He was relieved to see that Logan's hair was growing back fast.

Logan started to hook up some new computer gear he had brought into Terminal City. "I get the strangest feeling that burn is going to leave a scar that won't heal." He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "I don't know why."

Max stopped taking her anger out on Alec for a moment. "There was something different about that taser gun that shot Jondy. I think Lydecker's guys have been modifying their own guns."

Logan finished what he was doing and sat down pulling Max onto his lap. "That can't be good. It was bad enough fighting them when we knew what weapons we were up against."

"At least Max and Jondy are in the clear for the moment." Alec grinned at Max and Logan's confused expressions. "That's right, you two were busy when Lydecker called up on Logan's cell and Krit told him that Max and Jondy were dead."

"How long do you think Lydecker will believe that for?" Logan questioned. He knew Lydecker well enough to know that he would want proof that the two women were dead.

"Hopefully long enough for us to get married." Max felt a sense of freedom with Lydecker thinking that she was dead. As long as she kept out of sight, Lydecker would never know any different.

Before the topic could be discussed any further, Joshua walked into the control center. "Little fella, more people have arrived. Where are we going to put them?"

"Who's running the Laundromat and the grocery store?" Logan had a couple of ideas, but the main one he wanted to discuss with Max alone first. "Cause there's apartments above both stores. The hotel on the North East side still needs fixing up a little before anyone is safe living there, but that shouldn't take too long."

Mole came in on the end of the conversation. "It won't take us long to fill those vacancies. We're running out of room fast. Got any other ideas?"

"We'll let you know when we come up with the answers to all of the world's problems." Max snapped back. She knew that Terminal City was getting overcrowded, but at the moment there wasn't much she could do.

Florida medical was an imposing looking building that always seemed to be a hive of activity. Adam stormed into the hospital exhausted after the long drive and anxious to find out if the closest thing he had to parents were still alive. "Where do I find Bernard and Mary Jacobs?" He was oblivious to the admiring look the receptionist was giving him.

Realizing the man before her was short on patience, the receptionist quickly looked up the information on her computer. "Mrs Jacobs is in intensive care. Mr Jacobs has been moved to the wards." When she looked up, the man had disappeared.

Adam knew Buddy would stay by his wife's side until Mary was released from hospital with or without the Doctor's permission. Sure enough, he found Buddy in intensive care with Mary. "Buddy, what happened?"

"Drunk driver." Buddy stayed focused on his wife. "One minute we were climbing into the car after taking a walk along the beach at sunset. The next I woke up in here staring up into the face of a redheaded angle."

A nurse walked up to the bed to check Mary's vitals. "You really shouldn't be here Mr Jacobs." She gently scolded Buddy. "You need your rest as well."

Adam was about to tell the nurse where to go when the redhead from his dreams walked in. "Let him be Tina." She checked the chart hanging off of Mary's bed. "Mary's doing a lot better this morning Buddy. I would be happier if she were conscious though."

Buddy looked up into the caring blue eyes. "What can I do to help?" He had taken to the pretty Doctor immediately.

"Talk to Mary. She can hear you." The Doctor glanced at something outside the room before turning her attention back to Buddy. "See if you can get Mary to open her eyes. I'll be right back." She glided rather than walked out of the room.

Jondy walked up to Zane, who was waiting outside the hospital room with her twins. "Hey. When did you get into town?" She kissed her brother's cheek as she took her son off of her brother.

"Early this morning." He nodded to the room Jondy had just left. "Julia said you were having a problem with a patient. How long has your shift been?" Zane noticed Jondy wince slightly when her son wrapped his chubby little arms around her neck. She was obviously still in pain from the burn she had been inflicted with in Seattle.

"I started at five o'clock yesterday afternoon." Jondy glanced over her shoulder. "Zack's here. I'm not sure if he recognizes me or not, but we should probably phone Max and Logan just in case."

Zane quietly observed his sister for a moment. "Maybe we should check this out further before we alarm Max and Logan. Didn't Max tell you that Zack didn't recognize Max until he put her barcode together with her name and face?"

"So you think if we don't tell Zack our real names and keep our barcodes hidden, then he won't put all of the pieces of the puzzle together." Jondy was doubtful. "I have to get back to my patient." An idea sprung into her mind. "Come on. Maybe Ben and Tinga can help wake Mary up."

"Lead the way Sis." Zane wasn't sure what Jondy had in mind, but the sooner they put her plan into action, the sooner she could go home.

Adam watched the Doctor walk back in the room with two infants and the man who had been with her in his dreams. He nodded to the children. "Two more of your patients Doc?"

"No, these are two of my children." Jondy sat on the edge of Mary's bed. "Mary, these are my twins and they wanted to say Hi before we go and take their sisters to the beach."

Ben reached one of his chubby little arms out and stroked Mary's face. "Lady sleeping?" He looked at his twin sister, who was still snuggled in Zane's arms.

Tinga looked past her brother at Mary. "Wake up." She looked highly offended when Mary's eyes remained closed. "Wake up?" She demanded.

Zane chuckled. "She certainly has your temper Sis. Must have something to do with that red hair." Held his hand out to Adam. "Hi, I'm Zed, Jess' brother."

Adam shook Zane's hand. "Adam." He nodded to Buddy. "This is Buddy." He looked closely at Jondy and Zane. "You two don't look as though you're related. You even have different accents."

"We have different Mothers." Jondy simply replied. Turning her attention back to Mary, Jondy shifted her son slightly in her arms. "So what do you say Mary? Open your eyes and look at my beautiful babies."

"Wake up." Tinga demanded again, pounding her fists on her Uncle's arm. Patience was obviously not a virtue the little girl had.

"Please tell me these two have inherited more from their father than just their green eyes." Zane chuckled at his niece.

"They have their father's skin tone thank goodness." Jondy lovingly brushed the hair out of her daughter's face. "This little lady isn't shy about getting attention. You know she doesn't get that from me."

Adam watched silently as the brother and sister talked about the children. Tearing his gaze away, he looked over at Mary who had opened her eyes. "Look who's awake."

"What happened?" Mary looked around her. "Where am I? The last thing I remember is walking along the beach at Sunset."

Jondy handed her son to Zane who left the room with the children. "Mary, I'm Doctor Saunders. Your car was hit by a drunk driver. I'm afraid that you are going to be a guest at Florida Medical for a few days." She pointed to Buddy and Zack. "Can you tell me who these two are?"

Mary turned her head slowly. "My husband, Buddy and Adam. Buddy and I were on our second Honeymoon." Things were beginning to become clearer.

"Some second Honeymoon huh Sweetheart?" Buddy gently squeezed Mary's hand. "I'm not used to all this excitement. Next time, I say we Honeymoon at home."

"What happened to the drunk driver?" Adam wanted to tear the person limb from limb for what they had done to Mary.

"He died on the way to the hospital." Jondy did a quick check of Mary's vitals and reflexes.

"Serves him right." Adam replied bitterly.

"Doesn't serve the wife and daughter he left behind right." Jondy hadn't forgotten how Zack always saw things in black and white. She had hoped the his loss of memory would have changed that.

Adam looked up at the Doctor. Her expression was closely guarded. "When can I take Mary and Buddy home?"

"I'm keeping Mary in for observation for a couple of days. I'll have a better idea then." Jondy turned back to Buddy and Mary. "Buddy, you need to get some rest. Mary, I'll get you moved to one of the wards. The nurses know how to get hold of me if you need me, otherwise I'll see you this afternoon. I'm taking my children to the beach."

Adam watched as the stunning Doctor turned and walked out of the room, her red mane flying behind her. He noticed Buddy and Mary grinning at him. "What?"

"You have a real way with women, don't ya Adam." Buddy chuckled. "That redheaded angel couldn't wait to get away from you."

Max wrapped her arms around Logan's waist from behind as they walked into their apartment. "So why do I get the feeling you have a plan forming in that over active brain of yours, on how to solve the housing problem at Terminal City?" Although Max couldn't see Logan's face, she knew a grin was spreading across his features.

"I had an idea, but I wanted to discuss it with you first." He walked over to the sofa untangling himself from Max's arms and sat down, pulling Max down on his lap. "What would you say if I bought this entire building?"

A questioning look crossed Max's face. "You haven't bought the building yet?" She didn't think buying the building would help the overcrowding problem at Terminal City.

Logan shook his head. "Not yet. I wanted to run this past you first. Some of the human looking Transgenics could move into the building, get a job and pay rent. With one of those devices that Zane made, the hover drones wouldn't pick up that they're transgenics. That would create more space for the new arrivals."

Max pondered what Logan had suggested. "It would also mean there were more people on the outside to bring in supplies and help getting in for any more new arrivals." She was touched by Logan's thoughtfulness, but he was spending a lot of his money on something that was her problem. "I can't let you keep forking out money on my family Logan."

Logan had suspected Max might say that. "Well, you see, they became my family too when I fell in love with you. Besides, if we work the rental agreements on the apartments as some of them being rent to own, I get my money back on the one that are strictly rentals. That way some of your family end up with an investment. It's a win, win situation." His argument had sounded pretty good in his head, but he wasn't sure if Max would buy it.

Max had to admit, Logan had thought his plan out well. Not many people had wanted to live in the building because it was so close to Terminal City. It was perfect for the Transgenics. "Since you've thought this though so carefully, I only have one condition." She almost laughed at the wary look that crossed Logan's face. "I get to pay for half of the building. This could be the first investment we make."

Logan was about to ask where Max would get the money from, but then decided against it. He knew Max had taken a job restoring motorcycles nearby, but he had woken a few times that week to find Max's side of the bed empty. At first he had thought she was up on the space needle as she didn't need very much sleep. Then, knowing the financial situation at Terminal City, he realized she was probably relieving some bad guys of money obtained illegally. "Ok, it's a deal partner." Despite Max being seated on his lap, he held out his hand to shake on the deal.

Max grinned like a cat that had gotten the cream. "Oh, I've got a better idea than shaking on it." She pounced on Logan's lips as though he were a glass of milk and she was dying for thirst.

Jondy sat on the soft white sand watching Zane splash around in the water with her children. The twins happily built sandcastles in front of her, unaware of their Mother's watchful eye on them as well as their siblings. "Decided to take a break from the hospital, Adam?" Her gaze never shifted from the beach and water before her.

Adam sat down beside the petite female. "Buddy threatened to kick me out of the hospital himself if I didn't leave and get some fresh air." He cast the Doctor a look out of the corner of his eye. "I thought there was some rule against redheads wearing red."

Jondy was wearing a red bikini with a red sarong wrapped around her waist and her hair pulled back at the base of her neck with a red scrunchie. "I'm not really one for following rules." She waved Zane and the children in from the water, the wedding ring she wore sparkling in the sun.

"So is your husband at work, so your brother came to the beach with you instead?" Adam caught the wary look the Doctor's brother was giving him.

"My husband died before the twins were born and my brother stops by to visit regularly." Jondy handed Zane a towel before standing to start towel drying the girls, therefore giving Adam a clear view of the burn down her right side.

"What happened?" Adam pointed to the jagged red mark on her lily white body. It was then the strange flashbacks started. A group of children chained by the ankles under the water, their haircuts were military style. The flashback focused on two of children. One had big blue eyes and pale skin, obviously a girl despite the masculine haircut. The other, a boy who seemed slightly older, had brown eyes.

"I got hit by lightening." Jondy bent down and scooped up her twins. "Time to go girls. Grandma will have lunch waiting." She looked over at Zane, who nodded. He too had noticed Zack's eyes glaze over as if remembering something.

Adam noticed that Jessica's outfit was completely dry. "How come you didn't go in the water?" He questioned as her brother pulled a shirt over his tattooed body.

"I'm not big on large pools of water." Jondy nodded to the bags sitting on the beach, packed with towels and suntan lotion. "You know the rules. Everyone grab a bag."

Adam watched the children grab a bag each and Jessica's brother take one of the twins off of the redhead. It was like watching a mini unit of soldiers, only these kids were laughing and having fun. A second flashback flew through his head. Children marching through a corridor somewhere, then the children sitting in a classroom with the words traitor and betrayal flashing in front of them.

"Come on Sis." Zane wanted his sister and the children away from Zack before his brother started putting the pieces of the puzzle in his head together. As they left the beach, Zane leaned closer to his sister. "Make the call."

Without a word Jondy pulled her cell phone out of the pocket of one of the bags and dialed Logan's cell number. "So Zane, how are you enjoying your stay in Florida so far?"

Zane reached out and punched a guy out who was paying far too much attention to Jondy's figure. Never breaking his stride he grinned down at his tiny sister. "You've lived in worse places."

Max stretched out her limbs where she lay beside Logan. "See, I told you I had a better idea than shaking on it." Max doubted she would ever tire of the incredible things Logan did to her body. Logan chuckled as he ran his finger along Max's collar bone and felt her shiver with anticipation. "Oh, I don't know about that. It depends on which part of you is shaking." He replaced his finger with his lips. At that moment his cell phone rang. Cursing under his breath Logan reached for his cell phone. "This has to be one of your siblings. Nobody else has this good a sense of timing." He quickly kissed Max on the lips before answering the phone. "What?"

"Didn't interrupt you doing my sister did I?" Jondy teased Logan, knowing full well what he had been up to. She sensed her sister was way too happy to be playing a friendly game of chess.

"Consider it pay back for the time I interrupted you doing that guy that you ended up hanging by his ankles from the Golden Gate Bridge." Logan joked back. "What can we do for you J?"

Never one to mince words, Jondy jumped straight to the point. "Zack's in Florida. The couple he's been staying with were in an accident while on their second honeymoon. Zack turned up as their next of kin."

Logan sat upright in bed. "Are Mary and Buddy alright?" The couple were personal friends as well as 'Eyes Only' clients.

Jondy kept talking on her cell phone as she walked into her home and seated Tinga in her high chair ready for lunch. She waved hello to Julia, but continued with her phone conversation. "Buddy's got a few cuts and bruises, he can probably leave the hospital tomorrow. Mary has internal injuries, so she'll have to stay in longer."

Logan put his arm around Max and pulled her closer. "Does Zack know who you are? I take it he's seen you." Of course Zack had seen Jondy, Logan silently berated himself. Jondy would never have phoned them if Zack hadn't seen her.

Jondy handed Tinga and Ben a triangle shaped sandwich each. "Yes he's seen me and Zane is visiting, so he's seen him too. We get the impression he's remembering things, he just hasn't figured out what those things mean yet."

Max took the phone off of Logan. "There's not much any of us can do if his memory returns. The problem is Manticore put some false memories into his head and those are the ones he remembered last time."

Zane had been listening in on the phone conversation and now took the phone off of his sister. "Since Zack's only seen Jondy and I, we might have a better control on the memories he recalls. We could be able to swing this a positive way. We'll call you back if there's any need for concern. J and I thought it was best to give you a heads up on Zack being here just in case."

"Thanks Zane. How's Jondy really doing?" Max had the feeling her twin was still in a lot of pain and not saying anything. Alec had pretty much confirmed that when he had returned from visiting Florida, but Max had been too busy punishing him for shaving Logan's head to pay too much attention.

"Taking on too much as usual." Zane looked fondly at his sister, who rolled her eyes telling him that he was worrying too much. "Don't worry about Zack. If he does tap into the wrong memories, Jondy will straighten him out. She always has done in the past." He said goodbye to his sister and hung up the phone. "Was I wrong?" He turned to Jondy.

"I hope not Big Brother." Jondy handed Zane a cup of coffee and sat down beside him at the table. "Cause if you are, we're going to have to stop Zack from heading to Seattle."

Max hung up Logan's phone and handed it back to him. "Even if Jondy can convince Zack that you're not the enemy, we're never going to be one big happy family are we?" She snuggled up against Logan's chest.

"I don't think so Angel." Logan put his cell phone on the bedside cabinet and held onto Max tightly. "Zack's never looked at you as a sister and even if he doesn't consider me a threat, he's still not going to be happy about us getting married. Jondy can be very persuasive when she wants to, but I don't think even she can change Zack's opinion of us being together."

The seriousness of the situation made Max giggle. Here they were, completely naked in bed with the threat of her brother intruding on them, hanging above them. It was so surreal. "So the fate of our future resists on Zack not remembering what Manticore drummed into his brain and my sister's ability to perform miracles."

Logan couldn't help but chuckle. When it came to Zack, Max was usually so serious. "Well, when you put it that way, the fact that I'm walking and we can touch is proof that she can perform miracles. I guess we have nothing to worry about." He rolled Max onto her back so that he was looking down on her. "Want to perform a few miracles of our own?"

"Hell yeah." Max would worry about Zack coming to Seattle when Jondy and Zane gave her reason to.

Zane sat up on the third floor nurse's station desk chatting with the nurses when Adam walked up to him. "Hey Adam. How's Mary doing?"

"That's what I came to find out from your sister." Adam frowned as a security guard came to stand beside the desk. "What's going on?"

"I'm waiting for Jess to take a break. She's with a patient." Zane was watching the examination room that Jondy was working in.

"So where does the security guard come in?" Adam got the distinct feeling that something bigger was going on. "You expecting trouble?"

Zane grinned. "I never expect trouble. It just keeps landing on my doorstep." He held his hand out to the security guard, who slapped a pair of handcuffs into his hand. "Five, four, three, two, one."

When Zane counted down to one, a man came flying backwards through the examination room window. The man staggered to his feet, a look of complete shock on his face. "You bitch! You can't stop me from taking my wife out of this place."

Jondy walked out of the examination room dressed in black jeans, stiletto boots and a cream top on underneath a lab coat. "You could at least let me repair the damage you've done to her Raymond."

Raymond pulled a knife out of his pocket. "Get out of my way Bitch." As he ran for Jondy, Zane plucked the knife out of his hand and Jondy spun and brought her elbow up into Raymond's face.

"You've got a thing for attacking women, don't you?" Jondy spun again and kicked Raymond backwards into the desk.

Zane slapped the handcuffs on Raymond and cuffed him to the bar that ran across the front of the nurse's station desk. "So is it time for your break yet Jess?"

"I'll be with you in a moment." Jondy turned and walked back into the examination room. "I just want to get Wendy settled into a room."

"Wendy will never press charges against me." Raymond sneered. "She'll never leave me."

"No, but my sister will press attempted murder and assault charges, I'm sure." Zane snarled before kicking Raymond in the face, knocking him unconscious.

Edwin, the security guard chuckled. "Would you look at that. Raymond slipped and knocked himself unconscious on the desk, didn't he ladies." He looked over at the nurses who nodded.

Zane raised an eyebrow at Edwin. "I take it Raymond beats the crap out of his wife regularly." He looked over to where Zack had been standing. "Where'd Adam go?" He looked up as Jondy walked back out to the desk. "We may have a problem."

Jondy noticed that Zack was no longer standing by the desk. "Think Zane. Where would you go if you had lost your memory and bits were coming back to you?" She turned to one of the nurses. "Tina, could you organize a room for Wendy? I'm going on my break." Jondy headed for the roof with Zane following her.

Adam sat on the roof with his head in his hands. The images of children leaping through a glass window and running across snow covered grounds to the fence, flashed through his head. When he lifted his head from his hands and stared into the night, he saw the woman from the hospital in Seattle. Her hair was shorter and curled and she was hugging him and calling him Zack. The image changed to the woman sitting on the floor passionately kissing a man. Again the image changed to some sort of lab where he was being tortured. Adam got up and started to pace. The image switched to an underground garage where he was standing over the man with a gun in his hand. A female voice ringing out in his head yelling 'Don't do this Zack' brought him down on his knees. The 'Eyes Only' banner flashed through his head alternating with the word enemy. Adam leapt to his feet. "Max. Max is in danger." As he turned around he saw Jessica and Zed watching him. "Jondy. Zane." The names seem to scream out in his head. "I've got to get to Max."

Zane moved to block Zack's way. "No you don't. Max is fine. Jondy spoke to her five minutes ago."

Zack shook his head. "No you don't understand. Logan's the enemy. She's in danger, he'll hurt her. I remember everything."

Zane refused to budge. "You remember what Manticore drummed into your head. It's just a bunch of lies. If you go to Seattle, you will ruin everything that Max has worked so hard for. Logan's not the enemy, he loves Max. He's helped us all out more times than I can count."

"You're wrong." Zack pushed past his brother and headed for the door that led to the stairs. It was Jondy's voice that stopped him.

"You always were a self centered bastard Zack." Jondy stood slightly behind Zane, her long hair swaying in the night air. "Always thinking of yourself and twisting the situation to sound as though the hell you put us through was for our own good."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Zack lied. The real memories were coming back loud and clear despite what Manticore had done to him.

"Sure you do." Jondy could read Zack like a book. "You turned yourself over to Lydecker, letting Max believe you did it to give her, her freedom. The truth is, you committed the crime that got Max arrested in the first place." She had heard both Max and Logan's versions of that particular event and managed to work out the truth herself.

"She wouldn't have been arrested in the first place if she had stayed with me instead of going back to him." Zack protested.

"Bullshit!" Jondy took a step forward. "Max's face wouldn't have even been on the damn wanted poster if you hadn't killed one of Lydecker's men. You can't expect us all to shut off our emotions and tow the line like good little soldiers. That's not why we broke out of Manticore in the first place."

Zack knew Jondy was right, but it was a shock that the shy, quiet little girl who was sitting in his newly acquired memory was grown up and putting him in his place. "Emotions make you weak." It was all he could come up with.

"You're wrong." Jondy took another step closer. "And let me tell you something else Big Brother. Logan is who got Max through her forced stay at Manticore, not you. Her feelings kept her strong. They tortured her at Manticore as well, but unlike you they didn't break her." As Jondy stormed off towards the door, she let out another striking blow. "By the way, not as though you'd care, but Mary is recovering nicely. She should be able to leave the hospital in a few days."

Zane stood with his arms crossed in front of him. "Now you've done it. She is gonna kick your ass if you don't grow a brain fast. Just to bring you up to speed Zack, Tinga is alive. Max and Jondy are really twins and they found their real mother."

Zack stood facing his brother in shock. This was all too much to take for one night. "Tinga's alive? Where is she?"

"Relax. Max and I broke her out of a psychiatric hospital along with Max and Jondy's mother. She's back with her husband and son."

"They'll get her caught." Zack saw his brother's expression become graver with every word he spoke. "They mean exposure." 

"They mean she's happy." Zane shook his head in disbelief. "Jondy's right. You are a self centered bastard. You've been living a great life since you lost your memory. You've actually been happy living a normal life. All of a sudden, bang you get your memory back and you become a prize asshole." Zane followed his sister's lead and stormed back into the building.

Zack stared into the darkness. Things were still a muddle in his head. It was difficult to figure which pieces were true and which were false. The two things that rang true in his mind were Jondy would never walk away from Max if there were the slightest chance she was in immediate danger. Also Zane had always been protective of Jondy and part of keeping Jondy safe, was keeping Max safe. If Jondy and Zane said that Logan wasn't a danger to Max, then the only thing stopping Zack from believing it, was his own jealousy.

Alec sat in the Terminal City control center staring at the monitors along with Tek, the part man part bear transgenic. "So, did you leave anyone special behind when you left Manticore?"

Tek gave out a deep throaty chuckle. "Yeah, I had the babes lining up for me." He joked. "I have a better chance of finding that someone special in here, than locked up in Manticore or out there with the normals. At least in here, I can almost believe in the good old American dream." He glanced at Alec's beaten up face. "So why is a gorgeous woman like Jondy hanging with an ugly brute like you?"

Alec laughed. "Still trying to figure that out myself." He looked up as Max and Logan walked in. "If you two are looking for a room at the Inn, you're out of luck. We're full up."

"Don't make me beat on you again." Max warned. "Besides, Logan came up with an idea for the housing problem. Until we can get it finalized, we brought a supply of tents as a temporary solution."

"What's your idea?" Tek asked before Alec could make any smart ass remarks.

"Max and I are going to buy the building we are living in." Logan begun. "The idea is that some of the X5s, X6s and X7s move into the building, get jobs and pay rent. Max's brother can knock up some miniature devices so that the hover drones and police scanners don't pick up that they are transgenics."

"That should free up some space and still keep us all close together in case of trouble." Alec was impressed, though he'd never tell anyone. "Any more news on Zack's returning memory?" He had spoken to Jondy that morning and she had brought him up to date.

"Not yet." Max reached for Logan's hand and hung on tightly. "All we can do is wait for Jondy or Zane to let us know what's going on."

Zack stood in the doorway of the hospital room watching his sister checking a patient's chart. "I want to see Max." He kept his voice low so that he wouldn't wake the patient, but knowing his sister would hear him.

Jondy hung the chart on the end of the bed and walked out of the room. "I figured you would. Zane's waiting for you in the car out front. What would you like me to tell Mary and Buddy?"

Zack reached out and hugged his sister. "Tell them I'll be back in a couple of days to take them home." He stepped back from his sister. "I just want to see for myself that Max is happy."

"I know." Jondy turned and walked away. She had told Zane to keep a close eye on Zack as she was still uncertain what his reaction would be when he saw Max and Logan together.

Zane sat beside Zack in his car watching the happenings inside the Terminal City fences. "So the couple you're staying with, they seem nice. What's your life been like?"

"Uncomplicated." Zack smiled to himself. "The cows can get a bit stroppy, but that's nothing compared to our baby sister threatening to kick my ass."

Zane chuckled. "The scary part is knowing she can. She damn near broke Logan's hand when she gave birth to the twins. He and Max ended up delivering the babies."

"Who's the father?" Zack had been wondering ever since he had seen Jondy with the children on the beach, who their father was. "Last time I remember her being with anyone, it was Devon. I got the impression he was gay."

"That's a long story, but yes Devon was gay and yes he is the father of the twins. The other twelve girls are adopted." Zane spotted Max and Logan walking hand in hand laughing. "There she is."

Zack watched in silence for a moment. His brother and sister had been right. He had never seen Max so happy before. "She's never gonna look at me like that, is she?" The sight of Max looking up at Logan with such love in her eyes, tore at the machine that had replaced his heart.

Zane shook his head. "No. That doesn't mean you can't have that with someone else. There are women out there that don't care that we were made and not born."

Zack took one last look at Max before turning to his brother. "I guess. Let's go. I've seen enough." He just wanted to go back to his uncomplicated life. "I remember you having a dog. Where's the dog at the moment."

"With Jondy." Zane started the car and headed back to Florida. "I like to give the dog an opportunity to get out of the car occasionally. Besides, the damn dog loves Jondy. I'll probably have trouble getting the animal to go back to LA with me."

"You know, I remember Jondy being such a sweet little girl who was so shy." Zack chuckled. "What happened?"

Zane shook his head. "That sweet little girl grew up and attracted a whole bunch of losers. Let me tell you about Edward, Mathew, Gavin and Ames White."

Max pulled Logan's cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Jondy's cell. "Hey, it's me. The brothers are heading back to the hood. What did you say to Zack?" She giggled at Jondy's answer. "Fair enough. Catch ya later." She hung up the phone and put it back in Logan's pocket.

"Everything ok?" Logan had been concerned when Jondy had phoned up to warn them that Zane was bringing Zack to Seattle.

Max nodded and squeezed Logan's hand. "Everything's fine. Jondy just sent Zane along for the ride to be safe."

"Still, I don't think we've heard the last from Zack." Logan wasn't worried about himself, but the old insecurities about Zack taking Max away from him were still there.

"Hey," Max tugged on Logan's hand so that he would look at her. "I'm not going anywhere."

A week later, Zack was helping Mary into the truck. "We'll have you home before you know it." He was just glad to be going home himself.

"I can't wait." Mary glanced up at Jondy apologetically. "Not that you haven't been wonderful Doctor Saunders, but I really want to be home in my own bed."

"That's perfectly understandable." Jondy reassured her. "Have a safe trip home." As she turned to walk back inside the hospital, Jondy pressed a scrape of paper into Zack's hand. "You too Adam."

"Bye Doc." Zack glanced down at the scrape of paper. All that was written on the paper was a cell phone number and the words 'Call if you need anything' above it. "Thanks Sis." Zack whispered. As he climbed into he driver's seat he saw Jondy turn, wave and smile.

_The End_


	39. Second Guessing

**"Second Guessing"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The character of Rebecka however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

Logan and Max have to locate Sandeman's son and get to him before Lydecker does.

**Timeframe:**

Season Two. Follow up story to Memories.

**Rating:**

PG

**Category:**

Drama

* * *

CJ pulled himself into a sitting position, which was easier said than done considering he was wearing a straight jacket. He stared out of the barred window into the darkness that seemed more dark blue than black tonight. She was out there somewhere, the one who would stop 'The Coming'. Father had told him that he had hidden the answers to stop Ames and the conclave where no one would know to look for it.

He was hopeful that Max would come looking for him, if only because CJ had some of the answers that she was looking for. The only thing CJ could think of that would even attempt to stop her was Ames. Max was smart though and CJ had more faith in her, than he had in his brother's ability to stop her.

Donald Lydecker was on a mission. One source of knowledge that he needed to rebuild project Manticore had been disposed of unfortunately. However, he always had a back up plan. Sandeman had kept the identities of his two sons well hidden. Ames White would be of no assistance as Lydecker well knew. It was the other son that he was interested in. From what little Lydecker could remember about that family, CJ wasn't the brightest star in the sky. He could use CJ to get Sandeman's help.

Some of the South Africans had suggested that Sandeman might be eager to recreate the incredible things he had done when Manticore had been first started. Lydecker, however was better at second guessing. He knew Sandeman regretted everything about Manticore. The only way to get Sandeman's assistance was to give him no other choice. That's why they needed to get hold of CJ.

Lydecker had so far managed to track CJ down to a physicactric hospital on the outskirts of Seattle. Unfortunately, CJ had escaped not long before the Transgenics had been revealed as having taken over Terminal City. Where CJ was now, was still a mystery. A mystery that Lydecker was determined to solve.

"Deck." Zeak walked in waving a video cassette tape at Lydecker. "Got hold of that news footage you wanted." He shoved the tape in the nearby video machine. The television screen flickered for a moment before footage of Corban shooting Jondy played. It was impossible from the angle the footage had been shot at, to tell if both Jondy and Max had been caught by the taser shot at them.

"This is the only angle the incident was shot from?" Something didn't add up in Lydecker's head. He rewound the tape and replayed it.

Zeak nodded. "Every other camera at the Recreation Center opening was watching Cale. Why? Are you seeing something on that tape that I'm not."

"It's not what's on the tape that has me suspicious." Lydecker stared at the screen in front of him, pausing the tape as Zane leapt down from the wall to catch his sister. "Zane is extremely protective of Jondy, so why isn't he beating down the door, looking for revenge? 'Eyes Only' ran daily if not hourly reports on Manticore when it was believed that Max was dead. The only thing that's been heard from him lately is that the Mayor had Ames White working for him to take the Transgenics down."

Zeak shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe they're in shock. They could still retaliate. We should be prepare for that."

Lydecker shook his head. "That could be true with 'Eyes Only', but I know my kids. They get revenge first, mourn later. I don't know how, but Max and Jondy are still alive. After seeing what changes Corban made to his gun however, I have no doubt that one or both women are seriously injured."

"So we go to plan B and find Sandeman's son." Zeak had known Lydecker too many years not to know he had a back up plan. "Any leads yet?"

"One." Lydecker grinned at his friend. "Turns out CJ was a nut job. He escaped one nut house, but I can't see his brother leaving him loose on the streets. He's too much of a loose cannon. It's just a matter of finding whereabouts Ames White has his brother locked away where he can't cause trouble."

Max sat stretched out on the sofa while Logan did his latest 'Eyes Only' broadcast, reading a book. It hadn't escaped her, much to her amusement that this was too much like the perfect domestic picture. All it needed to make the picture ideal, was for Max to be in the kitchen cooking and that was never going to happen. Not with Logan being such a great chef.

"What are you reading?" Logan kissed the top of Max's head, waiting for her to lift her legs so that he could sit on the sofa.

"A book." Max teased, resting her legs on Logan's lap when he was seated. "It's one of Shakespeare's plays. He was sure ahead of his time, wasn't he?"

Logan chuckled as he rubbed Max's calves through her jeans. "I don't think anyone realized that when Shakespeare wrote the plays. What made you decide to read," he glanced at the title on the cover. "'A mid summers nights dream' anyway?"

Max shot Logan a saucy grin. "It was the only book on the bookshelf I hadn't read. So are you all finished saving the world for the night'

"Yeah." Logan continued massaging Max's demin clad legs. "I've been meaning to ask you, do you really think Lydecker believes that you and Jondy are dead?" He felt Max instantly tense up underneath his hands.

"No." Max put her book down on the coffee table. "I think the best we can hope for is that Lydecker thinks we've both been seriously injured. Unfortunately, Lydecker knows us well enough to know that if anything happened to Jondy and I that you, Zane and probably Alec would blow up that building he's working out of. With him in it."

"Yeah, that's what bothers me." Logan pulled Max gently onto his lap. "So if he's not tracking Jondy, which at the moment seems to be what's happening. Then what's he planning?"

"You're asking me to second guess Lydecker." Max frowned. "I'm not sure I want to play in his head space. Anyway if Deck has a back up plan, why did he waste so much time going after Jondy?"

"Because he had you and me to use as bait." Logan had put a lot of thought into this. After all, it was his family that was at risk. "The only other person I can think of that could be of any use to Lydecker and his project would be Sandeman. The only person he could use to lure Sandeman back into that line of work is Ames White and son or no son, I can't quite see that doing the trick."

"You think too much." Max ran her tongue along Logan's collar bone. "I thought that you had finished work for the night.' As she nibbled her way up Logan's neck it occurred to her who Lydecker would use to get to Sandeman. "CJ."

"Excuse me?" Logan was slightly stunned by his fiancé's sudden change of mood from seductive to serious. "Who's CJ?' It was a bit of a passion killer to have your fiancé call out someone else's name while she was nibbling on your neck.

"Sandeman's other son." Max sat back slightly so that she could look at Logan's face. "Remember when the runes first turned up? CJ showed up at Terminal City looking for a place to stay claiming he was Transgenic."

"No, I don't remember meeting CJ." Logan was getting completely confused. "So where is CJ now? And can he be trusted?" Sandeman had disappeared a while back and Logan was still searching for him. Having Ames White as a brother wasn't really a good argument for trusting him.

"White got hold of him. I'm not even sure that he's still alive." Max admitted. "CJ was one of the unlucky ones that didn't pass or couldn't pass the conclave snake ritual thing. Apparently that was the reason Sandeman ran from the conclave, because he knew CJ wasn't one of the chosen ones."

"How'd he get separated from his father?" Logan would turn heaven and earth upside down if a child of his were in danger. He couldn't imagine any decent father not doing the same.

"Not sure." Max shrugged her shoulders. "CJ was sort of wacky. He carried a snake around with him. Still he did help me get away from White." She felt sort of bad leaving CJ behind in White's hands.

"Surely not even White would kill his own brother." Logan wondered just how much Lydecker knew about Sandeman. "Either way, if Lydecker knows that CJ exists, that's who he'll be going after until he can find out for sure if you and Jondy are still alive."

"I'm not so sure Lydecker's worried about the status of my health. It's Jondy he wants." This was not Max's idea of a romantic night at home.

"Don't be so sure." Logan had been worried about Lydecker's three step plan to get to Jondy, using him as step one and Max as step two. "Could be more to you and Jondy being twins than just sharing the same mother.

"I doubt it." Max decided it was time to change the subject. "So when are we going to have Rebecka over for dinner so that we can show our new apartment off? I figure it will take her mind off of seeing Jondy and I getting shot off of a wall on the news."

Logan knew that Max was trying to change the subject, so decided to leave tracking CJ down until tomorrow when Max was at work. "How about Friday? I take it Jondy told her that her injuries were just a scratch."

Max nodded and rolled her eyes. "Pretty much. You know Jondy doesn't like to make a lot of fuss and Rebecka does nothing but fuss. I think it's only because she feels guilty that she couldn't get us away from Manticore when we were born. It's just the harder she pushes for Jondy to accept her, the less likely it is that she will."

"How do you feel about that?" Logan always harbored the fear that Max would feel left out by her mother's clingy behavior in regard in Jondy. As independent as Max was, she still wanted to be a normal girl whose mother loved her.

Max looked into Logan's sky blue eyes seeing all the love she could ever want or need. "I understand where Jondy's coming from and she's even said that she feels it's unfair that she gets so much of Rebecka's attention when I'm the one who wanted to find Rebecka in the first place. It's a bit hard to get jealous of your sister when she's Jondy, who's never wanted to be the center of attention in her whole life."

Logan loved the way Max turned her disappointment in her mother's behavior towards her, into understanding of her sister's unwanted ability to draw attention. "Well, you've got all of my attention. At least you did until you yelled out somebody else's name." He joked.

Max shot Logan a sexy smile. "Sorry about that. Let's see if I can make it up to you." She took up where she had previously left off, nibbling on Logan's neck.

In the early hours of the next morning Logan woke to find Max gone. Her side of the bed was still warm, so she had only just left. Instinctively, Logan knew that she was sitting on top of the space needle. It had gotten to the point where Logan couldn't sleep when Max wasn't in their bed beside him. Since she would never need as much sleep as a normal woman, Logan had taken to working on 'Eyes Only' projects until she returned to their apartment.

Starting up his computer, Logan began his search for CJ. He knew before he even started the search that it was not going to be easy. For some reason Ames White had not wanted his brother running around loose and Logan doubted it was out of love for CJ. In fact he would swear on a stack of bibles it wasn't a case of being a protective brother and more like it being a case of CJ knowing too much for his own good.

When Max returned a couple of hours later, she found Logan still hard at work on the computer. "So have you found CJ yet?" It hadn't taken her long to guess what Logan was up to.

"Sort of." Logan brought a picture up on one of his monitors. "Is this CJ?" It hadn't been easy, but Logan had been doing this short of thing for too long not to know how to find the back doors and hidden pathways to what he was looking for.

"Yeah." Max nodded impressed. "Where is he?" As crazy as CJ was, there was no way she was going to let Lydecker use him as bait.

"That's where the sort of part comes in." Logan tapped a couple more keys to start a search before turning to Max. "I found the psychiatric hospital he escaped from. No doubt Lydecker's found it as well. Since there's no record of CJ's death and knowing Ames White as we do, I'm going to assume that CJ is alive and White has hidden him in another hospital."

Max sat on the edge of Logan's desk. "Well, we could just go down to the jail and ask White where his brother is, but I don't think he's going to tell us. Gotta figure he'd want his brother close by in case Daddy turned up to try and stop 'The Coming' and he needed someone for bait."

"That's what I was thinking." Logan took off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. "He could even still be at the same hospital that he escaped from, just under a different name."

Max nodded towards the screen where the computer was still searching. "Why don't you go and get some sleep. I can watch this." Logan looked exhausted. She wasn't sure why he wasn't still in bed asleep anyway. The search for CJ could have waited until the morning.

"I sort of have a problem." Logan couldn't help but smirk at Max. "I think your sister may have been right when she said I was addicted to you. I can't sleep when you're not in the bed beside me. I usually wake up not long after you go to the space needle every night." He frowned when the search turned up nothing. "What am I missing?"

"A lot of sleep." Max took hold of his hand and pulled him out of his chair. "Come on. You'll be able to figure this latest puzzle out better if you're not falling asleep on the keyboard." She shut down the computer and gently dragged Logan back into the bedroom. "When did my sister tell you that you were addicted to me?"

"When you were staying at Terminal City, she phoned up to ask about someone and wanted to know why I sounded so tired." Logan sat down on their bed and took off his glasses, placing them on the bedside cabinet. "It's no good lying to Jondy. She sees through me even if I'm on the phone."

Max striped off her clothes and climbed into bed beside Logan, cuddling up to him. "At least I don't give you a headache like being addicted to alcohol and drugs does."

Logan chuckled as he kissed Max goodnight. "Yeah, that's what your sister said." His head barely touched the pillow before he fell asleep.

Lydecker stared at the list before him. Each name on the list represented a contact he had used. It was a long list and each contact had come up blank. Part of him wondered if CJ had been expertly hidden out of sight. Another part of him wondered if his contacts no longer trusted him after he had assisted his kids in blowing up the Manticore DNA lab.

"I gather you came up empty handed, Deck." Zeak stood in the office doorway. "Manticore did a pretty good job of turning your name to mud after the DNA lab incident."

"So I'm finding out." Lydecker stared into space, his mind twisting the problem at hand over and over in his head. "There's one more person I can try, but I doubt he will be of any assistance."

"Failing that, you said yourself the two X5 women may still be alive." Zeak pointed out. "Their brother could have been lying. Even if he did sound distressed on the phone, that could just have been because the women had been injured."

"It's not them being alive that's the problem." Lydecker turned his stare to his South African friend. "It's finding them that's the problem, especially where Jondy is concerned."

Zeak frowned. "Why is that? I mean she was supposed to be a distraction so how is it that she can hide right under your nose?"

Lydecker smiled to himself. "Jondy has always been a living, breathing paradox. As I've told you before, she wasn't supposed to live, yet she's alive. She wasn't supposed to be able to give birth to children, yet she gave birth to twins whom were conceived naturally. So why does it surprise you that someone who is supposed to stand out like a sore thumb, can disappear in front of your face?"

"Who's your last option in finding Sandeman's son?" Zeak knew better than to argue with Donald Lydecker.

"Sandeman's other son, Ames White." Lydecker grabbed his jacket. "He's being held in the local jail. As I said before, I doubt he'll be of any assistance, but maybe we can get him to tip his hand without him realizing what he's doing."

Zeak watched Lydecker go. "Good luck."

Ames White sat in his cell meditating. He had nothing better to do at that moment. Even though the conclave had turned their backs on him, he was safe in the knowledge that neither the humans nor the transgenics knew what 'The Coming' was or how to stop it. His father may have encoded the answers in 452's DNA, but she still had no idea that she was the one to save those idiots. The only person that could and would give them any sort of clue was in a straight jacket and sedated in a psychiatric facility.

"Hey White, you have a visitor." The guard yelled through the bars. "Rise and shine." Nobody knew what the hell White was, but they strongly suspected that he was one of those human looking transgenics. A few months back he had killed a guard and tried to jump over the fence before one of the other guards shot him with a taser gun. Rumors had been circulated that he was responsible for the death of the blind girl in the sewers and not the dog man. Having seen White snap the neck of one of their own, the guard didn't find that hard to believe.

"Who would want to visit me?" Ames didn't bother to open his eyes. There was nobody he wanted to see anyway.

"I do." Lydecker stood on the other side of the bars. "What? No warm welcome. I would have expected at least a hello, especially after you had your people run my SUV off of the road a while back." When White still sat in his cell with his eyes closed, Lydecker knew exactly which button to push. "I guess you haven't been watching the news. Jondy's dead."

Ames opened his eyes and glared at Lydecker. "You're lying. She's too smart for you to be able to get the upper hand on her."

Lydecker kept his face expressionless. "One of my men went against orders and fired a tampered taser at her." He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't believe me by all means. I can get you a copy of the news tape and you can see it for yourself if you want." He watched White as the information settled in. "How's your brother taking the news of your incasuration by the way?"

Ames shrugged his shoulders still not believing what Lydecker had just told him. "I wouldn't know. It's been a while since I've seen him. He doesn't visit much."

"I take it, he lives some distance away." Lydecker felt as though he was playing twenty questions.

"No, he just doesn't visit much." Ames wondered what Lydecker wanted with his brother. "If you have questions to ask, why don't you ask Sandeman?"

Lydecker chuckled. "Well, your father appears to have abandoned both of his sons and disappeared. As far as I know, not even the great 'Eyes Only' can locate him. Considering he's the one who got him over the border into Canada in the first place, I think that's pretty damn funny."

"Yeah, well laugh your head off by all means." Ames shot Lydecker a cold hard look. "However, I have no idea where my father or my brother are." he saw the guard approaching. "Looks like your time's up. Don't let the door hit you on the way out." He closed his eyes and went back to meditating.

Lydecker waited until he got back into his car before pulling out his cell phone and dialing Zeak's direct line. "Zeak. Make sure that White gets a copy of that news tape will you."

"You get anything useful out of White?" Zeak was already pulling a copy of the tape out of one of his desk drawers.

"Yeah. His brother's somewhere close." Lydecker was already making a list of possible places that White would hide his brother, in his head. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't know where Sandeman is though. I'll be back in the office in twenty minutes." He switched off the phone and shoved it in his pocket. "Now if I wanted to hide my brother, where would I put him?" Lydecker muttered to himself before he started his car and headed for his office.

Logan rotated his shoulders which had started to stiffen up from working on the computer all day. When his phone rang, he was actually grateful for the break. Recognizing the caller ID he grinned as he answered the phone. "Hey Matt. What's up?"

"Hi Logan." The police detective answered. "I got news from the jail a few minutes ago. It seems Ames White had a visitor today. Donald Lydecker."

"What did he want with White?" Logan already knew the answer to that. What he really wanted to know was if white gave Lydecker the information that he had gone looking for.

"One of the guards was listening into the conversation." Matt began. "He was asking about White's brother. I don't think he got the answer he was hoping for. All White would say was that his brother didn't visit much, but that he didn't live a distance away. Lydecker also said something about Jondy being dead." That was the part that confused Matt. "I wouldn't mention it, but not long after Lydecker left, a tape of Jessica being shot off of the wall at the Recreation Center opening arrived. White's been climbing the walls ever since he saw it."

"Jessica's fine Matt." Logan started quickly tapping on his keyboard. "I wouldn't tell White that though. We don't want any chance of White stalking Jess if he finds a way out."

"Hey Logan, I understand that, but who's Jondy?" Matt had become quite fond of the redhead and was relieved to hear that she was alright.

"Jondy is Jessica." Logan carefully explained. "The less people that know that she's alive the safer she will be."

"You know your word's good enough for me Logan." Matt could see Clemente heading his way. "I'll call you if I find anything else out."

"Thanks Matt." Logan hung up his phone. Bringing up the records of the psychiatric hospital that CJ had previously escaped from, Logan glanced at the names hoping against hope that something would leap out at him. "Where are you CJ?" What he needed at that moment was Max. She could probably pick up with one glance what he was looking for.

Almost as though he had conjured her up with his thoughts, Logan sensed then saw Max. Judging by the light coat of sawdust that covered Max's coat and clothes, she had obviously spent some time at Terminal City after leaving work. 

"Hey. Have you found CJ yet?" She kissed Logan on the cheek, not wishing to get sawdust on him.

Logan shook his head. "Not yet, but I think he's at the same place that he escaped from originally. Lydecker went to visit White today to ask where CJ was. I doubt he came right out and told Deck where his brother was. But Lydecker's got some sort of idea of CJ's location, otherwise he would never have just walked away from White."

Max leaned slightly closer. "In other words we have to find CJ fast." Running her eyes over the names on the screen, something caught her eye. "Can you bring up a list of the in house employees. There's probably a few that live on the premises."

Logan tapped a couple of keys to bring up the information that Max had asked for. "Here's a possibly. Sandy Man works in the kitchen."

"Yeah and lives in the same quarters as the inmates. Something tells me there's no photo ID on file either." Max watched Logan try on the off chance there was a photo.

"No, no photo." Logan checked his watch. It would be dark soon. "Do you want to try and get CJ out tonight? I mean, we can't be sure that this is CJ." He didn't want to put Max in dangers way if he couldn't be sure of what they were heading up against.

"I'll just take a shower and change." Max knew Lydecker wouldn't take long to figure out White's riddle to his brother's location. "Can you find out what sort of security I'm up against and the quickest route to where CJ is."

"I'm on it." Logan started frantically tapping away at the keyboard. A short time later he stared at the screen before him. After CJ had escaped, Logan would have thought that White would had placed him under heavy security. The only security seemed to be one guard that did a routine patrol. "Another of White's riddles." Logan muttered to himself.

"Who knew White was the riddler." Max quipped as she towel dried her hair which now reached her shoulders. "Ok hit me with the riddle and let's see if we can figure it out."

Logan turned to face Max. "Why would White have his brother locked up in a place that he had already escaped from with next to no security? Unless ...." An idea popped into Logan's head. Bringing up the medical records on the screen, he found the answer.

Max rolled her eyes. "Great. He's doped up to the eyeballs. If I have to carry CJ out of there, it increases my chances of being caught."

'You want to call Alec in as backup?" Logan wasn't happy about Max going in alone, especially if Lydecker was hot on CJ's trail as well.

"Not really." Max shot Logan a disgusted look. Despite the fact that Logan's hair had grown back, she was still pissed at Alec.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Max, my hair has grown back. Don't you think it's time you stopped being pissed at Alec about something he did to save my neck. Besides, he's seeing your sister. It's not as though you can avoid him forever, especially when he's living in this building."

"My sister's never had very good taste in men." Max could see that Logan was going to be stubborn about this. "Fine. I'll call him and see if he's got plans tonight." 

"Thank you." Logan got a little comfort from Max's agreement. "The quickest and easiest way in, will be over the fence and in the back door. Keep an eye out for White's conclave buddies. It wouldn't surprise me if one or two of them were hanging around close by."

CJ stared glassy eyed out of his cell window. Fighting the strong effects of the sedative, he saw what looked like a military unit heading towards the place that had become his prison. He knew whomever this unitl of people were, they had come for him. "Need Max to come and get me, not these people. Only Max can stop 'The Coming'." His mutterings fell on deaf ears as he was alone in his cell.

Movement in the grounds alerted CJ to the presence of someone other than the normal guards and the military unit coming for him. All CJ could do was sit and wait to see who got to him first.

"We've got more company than we planned on." Alec sat in the bushes by the fence beside Max. "Considering you're supposed to be dead and I don't think Lydecker believes in ghosts, what do you suggest we do?"

"Go in and get CJ and stay out of sight." Max cautiously made her way towards the rear entrance. "I don't get his. Even with the conclave turning their back on White, I still would have thought they'd be watching CJ like a hawk."

Alec motioned towards the front of the building that they could only just see from the angle they were approaching the rear of the building from. "It looks as though they have their hands full keeping Lydecker out."

Sure enough, a team of men appeared at an inhuman speed to block the entrance that Lydecker's men were attempting to use. The only person standing in Max and Alec's way was one guard who was watching the scene before him in stunned amazement. Alec quickly knocked the guard unconscious and put his uniform on while Max tied him up.

"How long do you think we have before Lydecker storms the place?" Alec glanced at a security monitor that had been focused on the front gate.

"Well, first Lydecker will try and convince those freaks out there that they want the same thing and they should help each other." Max gave Alec a sarcastic smile. "And when that doesn't work, he'll start shooting."

"So in other words, we have about five minutes before this place starts resembling a scene out of a Terminator movie." Alec quipped as he followed Max towards where Logan had told them CJ was being held.

Max started work on the lock when they got to CJ's cell, while Alec kept watch. Any doubts that they might have the wrong room were shoved aside when they saw CJ sitting on the floor strapped up in a straight jacket.

"I knew you would come for me Max." CJ beamed at Max, who had started undoing the buckles on his straight jacket.

"Well CJ, you're a hard man to find." Max began to worry about getting CJ out of that dump. The man was so drugged he could barely stand. "You know, I think you should complain to your brother about the state of this place. He could have at least put you up in a place with a bit more class."

"Time to go kids." Alec raced into the room and tossed CJ over his shoulder in a fireman's hold. "Lydecker's guys just started shooting."

Logan made his way through the pitch blackness to the vehicles that Lydecker and his men had arrived in. He had never thought of himself as a hero, Logan just saw a wrong and felt the need to make it right. Starting at the rear, Logan slammed the crowbar from his van across the shoulders of the nearest man knocking him out. His movements going unnoticed with the cover of gunfire. Moving the man out of the way, he loaded the man's weapons into the jeep. Using his own gun he shot out the tires of the vehicles to the side and in front of the jeep. Slamming the jeep into reverse Logan headed for the rear of the building where he had left his van.

Lydecker took four of his men into the building while the rest of his men gave them cover. Following the plans of the building that he had downloaded earlier, he located the room he suspected CJ would be in only to find it empty with the door open. "Somebody got here ahead of us. They can't of gone far. Find them." He bellowed the orders even though he was sure that they were already too late. "'Eyes Only' strikes again." Lydecker knew only Logan could have located CJ this fast without help from White or the conclave. "Those boys are sure gonna be pissed that somebody let their cat out of the bag." He muttered to himself before heading back out of the building and ordering his men to pull back.

"Sir, we have a problem." One of his men approached him. "One of the vehicles has been stolen along with some weapons and the tires of the rear six vehicles have been shot out."

"So change the tires." Lydecker barked. He wasn't sure who Logan had been working with, but tonight's failed operation screamed that his kids were somehow involved. Sandeman was still out there somewhere and one way or another Lydecker would get him to help rebuild Manticore.

Alec, Max, CJ and Logan stood in the darkness watching Lydecker take out his frustrations on his men.

"Is there enough room at Terminal City for CJ until we can locate Sandeman?" Logan tossed Alec the keys to the jeep. "Actually, you'd better drop the jeep and the weapons off to Mole to make sure there is."

"No problem." Alec helped CJ into the jeep and belted him in. "Come on CJ, let's get you to the Terminal City Detox."

"Hey Alec." Max felt Logan take her hand. "Thanks for your help tonight." When Logan squeezed her hand, she knew that she had done the right thing asking for Alec's help.

Alec nodded that he accepted her thanks and resisted making any smart ass remarks. "Catch ya later." He drove off before Max could regret thanking him.

"Well, that wasn't the quiet night at home that I envisioned having when I left work." Max quipped as Logan drove them home. "I suppose you are going to be up all night trying to locate Sandeman."

Logan shot Max a toothy smile. "That wasn't my plan. I was going to cook my beautiful fiancé a fabulous dinner and then see if I could convince her to have an early night."

"You were huh." Max could see the mischief sparkling in Logan's beautiful blue eyes. "You're going to save the search for Sandeman until I'm at work tomorrow, aren't you?"

"That's the plan." Logan chuckled as he and Max headed home. Finding Sandeman was a problem for another day.

_The End_


	40. And the Bride Wore Red, White and Blue

**"And the Bride Wore Red, White and Blue"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Peter, Rein, Rebecka, Julia, Tek and Jondy's children however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

Max and Logan's wedding day has finally arrive, but nothing goes completely smoothly when there are that many X5's in town.

**Timeframe:**

Follow up story to Second Guessing. Follows Freak Nation. Features characters from 'Blast from the past'.

**Rating:**

PG

**Category:**

Romance, Drama

* * *

Alec stood in front of Rachel's grave. He hadn't meant for any of this to happen. He wasn't supposed to fall in love, Rachel wasn't supposed to die and having Jondy in his screwed up life was definitely never supposed to happen. Jondy was patient and understanding, most of the time and Alec knew he was lucky that she even gave him the time of day.

With Max and Logan's upcoming weddings taking priority for the next two weeks, it was making Alec think more about the future. In spite of everything he and Jondy had been through together, he couldn't picture himself being a husband or a father anytime soon. The thing that really troubled him, was that he had been able to picture that kind of future with Rachel.

Placing a bunch of flowers on Rachel's grave, Alec turned and walked away. The only time he could visit Rachel's grave was at night, as Rachel's father had people watching the cemetery during the day.

Sitting on the wall of the cemetery Jondy watched, her silence deadly. Zane could feel the fury radiating from his sister. "So what made you so sure Alec would be here?" Zane had gone for a walk while Beverly was asleep and had come across Jondy stalking the streets. Sensing that something or someone had pissed his sister off, he had quickly decided it would be safer for everyone if he went with her.

"Alec talks in his sleep." Jondy was getting fed up with being a substitute for a dead woman. She knew that Alec wasn't aware that he was using his feelings for her to dull the pain that he still felt at loosing Rachel. "I sort of overlooked that, but then last month when he visited Florida he yelled out Rachel's name when he should have been yelling mine."

"What do you mean?" Zane frowned at his sister before it suddenly dawned on him what she meant. "Oh, you have got to be kidding." Zane despite being head over heels for Beverly Shankar, was not oblivious to Jondy's attractiveness. It wasn't just what she looked like that appealed to people, especially men. It was her caring nature and vulnerability.

"No, I'm not kidding." Jondy turned to look at her brother. "Nothing kills the moment more than your partner screaming out another woman's name while in the throws of passion and then not realize that's what he's done."

"What are you going to do?" Zane had visions of Alec being hung upside down naked by various parts of his anatomy. That's what Jondy had done with cheating boyfriends of the past.

Jondy took a deep breath. "I'm going to help get my sister through two weddings and then I'm going to go back to Florida. I need to focus on getting my girls through their teenage years."

Zane was confused. "Why are you taking this so well? I would have thought that Alec would end up being shark bait."

Jondy managed a bitter smile. "That was my intention originally. You know, we never say the words. We spend maybe a week out of every month together and it's not as though we miss each other much in between. We were both fooling ourselves that we could make this relationship work."

Zane understood where Jondy was coming from. "It's his lose Sis." Zane hugged his sister, reminded of the timid little girl she had been as a child. "There is someone out there for you J that will appreciate just what a wonderful person you are."

"Yeah, well dreams are free." Jondy wasn't about to fool herself that Prince Charming was waiting for her just around the corner. "We'd better get back. You don't want Beverly to wake and find you gone."

"I think she's gotten used to waking up and not finding me there." Zane admitted. "We don't exactly make things easy for ourselves, do we? Which reminds me, are we expecting Zack to show up for the wedding of the year?"

Jondy looked at Zane as though he had just announced that he was the man in the moon. "Max figured it probably wasn't a good idea to invite Zack, just incase his Manticore inspired memory had him killing the groom."

"Fair enough." Several of their siblings would be absent from the wedding ceremony mainly because Zack was the only one who had known where they were. Without Zack's memory being one hundred percent, they had no way to get hold of them. Zane kissed Jondy on the top of the head. "See ya tomorrow."

"So Boo, what's the dealio with wedding number one?" Original Cindy stood beside Jondy who was putting the finishing touches on Max's hair.

Max looked at herself in the mirror, hardly recognizing the woman staring back at her. Her hair was piled on top of her head in curls, leaving her neck bare except for a diamond and garnet necklace that went with the matching earrings Logan had gifted her with as a wedding present. The straps of the red dress she was wearing crossed across her chest and did up behind her neck covering her barcode.

"The dealio is, Logan's cousins Bennet and Bitzy, their spouses and children along with Matt Sung and his family, Peter and Beverly are all going to be there. You, Rebecka and Bling will be there to make it real. It's sort of a wedding for our friends and family who would freak out at the sight of a dog man walking me down the isle." Max took off the bathrobe she had been wearing over her dress to keep any excess makeup off of it.

"Damn Boo, you are looking fine." Original Cindy took in her friend's appearance. "Logan's gonna swallow his tongue when he sees you. That's if his eyes don't fall out of their sockets."

Jondy cast a critical eye over the red dress she had made for Max. "Time to go Max. Krit, Zane and Alec are positioned around the registry office for safety's sake."

"What are you going to be doing while my Boo is saying I do?" Original Cindy had been wondering why Jondy was staying with her instead of Alec.

"I have some last minute finishing touches to make on the bridesmaids dresses." Jondy had arranged for Julia to bring her children to Seattle in a couple of days. With fourteen children to keep an eye on, she wouldn't have time to make any dress alterations then.

"Ok." Max did a last minute check in the mirror. "Let's do this. Logan gets stressed when I'm late for dinner. God knows what he'll do if I'm late for our wedding."

"The bride's supposed to be late." Original Cindy rolled her eyes as she headed for the door. "But you two never have done things the way you're supposed to. Why should your wedding be any different?" She gently shoved Max towards the door. "Let's go make an honest woman of you. See ya later Jondy."

Jondy waved absentmindedly as Max and Original Cindy walked out the door and Syl, Tinga and Jace walked in. "Ok ladies, grab a dress and try it on."

Five minutes later the three women were dressed in forest green dresses. Each dress fitted it's wearer like a second skin. The halter neck bodice which dipped into a V, from which the straight ankle length skirt fell. Jondy had taken into consideration that they may at any time have to fight uninvited guests and had left a thigh high split in the skirt.

"You've done a great job on these dresses J." Syl checked her reflection in the mirror. "I don't think I've ever worn a dress this beautiful before."

Tinga agreed. "We'll be able to wear our hair up. The halter neck covers our barcodes." It was then that Tinga spotted the scar still visible on Jondy's neck. "Hasn't that taser burn healed yet?"

"I think this scar may be a keeper." Jondy pulled some of her long hair forward to cover her neck. "I'll just have to wear a lot of make up to cover it for the wedding."

Sensing her sister's discomfort with the subject, Jace changed the subject. "Can we see the other wedding dress?" She was interested to see what Max had chosen for the second wedding dress as the first one ought to have been declared illegal, it was so sexy.

"It's over there with Cindy's maid of honor dress." Jondy pointed to a couple of dress bags that were draped over the sofa. "Syl, I need you to stand still while I pin up the hem."

Tinga unzipped the first bag and took out a royal blue dress. "I take it this is Original Cindy's dress." Like the bridesmaid's dresses the bodice was fitted going down to a point where the straight skirt fell to the floor complete with the split up the side. The main difference was the heart shaped neckline and the straps which were wide where they sat on the shoulder and narrowed in width where they were attached to the dress. "It's beautiful. Simple but elegant."

Jace unzipped the other bag chuckling at her sister. "You didn't really expect it to be all frilly did you? Original Cindy would kick Max's ass if she tried to get her dressed in ribbons and frills." When she pulled the dress out of the bag, Jace was stunned speechless for a moment. "Oh my God. Jondy, this must have taken you ages to make. It's gorgeous."

Syl jaw dropped when she saw the gown. The dress unlike the red dress that Max had just left the apartment in, was the picture of bridal perfection. Completely white, the skirt and the bodice were similar to the bridesmaid's dresses without the split up the side of the skirt. Two spaghetti straps on each side would hold the dress on Max's shoulders. The bodice was covered in a lace, full length sleeved overlay. The detail of the lace was shown up by beading on the bodice where lace met satin. The ends of the sleeves finished in a point where they would sit on Max's wrists. "Max is going to look like a princess."

Jondy picked up her cell phone and dialed Logan's cell. She grinned when he answered her call on the second ring. "Hi, this is chimera designs. I was wondering if you knew where I could get my hands on a tiara?"

Logan chuckled at his future sister in law's humorous greeting. "As a matter of fact I do. I'll drop it off to you tomorrow. Any idea where my bride is?" Despite knowing that Zane, Krit and Alec were watching from different viewing points for any trouble, he was still nervous.

"Stop worrying Logan." Jondy had to struggle not to laugh when her three sister's rolled their eyes. "Max and Original Cindy left a few minutes ago. Just remember, the key words are 'I do.' Talk to you later." Jondy switched off the phone. "That man needs to relax."

Rebecka walked up to Logan and Bling. "Is everything all right Logan?" She had waited a long time to share a moment such as a wedding with one of her daughters. The harder she tried to get close to Jondy, the further her redheaded daughter moved away. Still, at least she had the opportunity to share today with Max.

"Fine." Logan began to relax. If Jondy said Max was on her way, that was good enough for him. "Max and Original Cindy should be here s..." At that moment Max had walked into the registry office.

"Wow." Bling slapped Logan on the back. "That's some wedding dress your bride is wearing." He couldn't remember ever seeing a bride that looked as though she had walked straight off of the pages of a vogue magazine, like Max did now. Although there was nothing remotely bridal about the dress she was wearing.

Logan managed to regain the use of his tongue. "You look beautiful." He still couldn't believe that Max was going to be his wife.

"Jondy does good work." Max was practically glowing. "So is everyone here that's meant to be here?" She had been waiting for an attack of the nerves to plague her, but it never came.

Logan was glad that Rebecka answered Max's question as he had no desire to take his eyes off of Max to see if everyone was present. It wasn't just the sexy red dress that made Max look so beautiful today. It was the excited glow she had about her.

"Peter has just arrived, so I think we can begin." Rebecka kissed Max's cheek. "Logan's right. You do look beautiful."

The ceremony went quickly as Max and Logan had decided to save saying their own vows that they had written themselves, for the big wedding at Terminal City. Logan had asked Peter to get the Cale family tiara over to Jondy the next day, before focusing on his new wife. They took everyone back to their apartment for a bit of a celebration where they were joined by Max's siblings.

Alec had thought that Jondy was staying with Original Cindy because she needed to finish the dresses for the wedding. After being in Max and Logan's apartment for an hour, it was becoming obvious that Jondy was avoiding him. He tapped Zane on the shoulder. "Is Jondy alright?"

Zane glared at Alec. "Nothing that couldn't have been avoided by you not screaming out Rachel's name when you're banging my sister. By the way, apparently you talk in your sleep." Zane left Alec standing stunned in the corner of the room to speak to Jondy.

Jondy ran her fingers over the head of Zane's dog listening to her mother prattle on about her job and the registry office wedding. Since Rebecka hadn't stop chattering to her since she had arrived, Jondy's temper was coming pretty close to exploding. She felt no bond with Rebecka and would rather her birth mother stop trying to force a bond that would never be there. She almost sighed with relief when Zane walked up to them.

Zane smiled politely at Rebecka before addressing Jondy. "I'm taking Beverly to work. Do you need a lift to Terminal City?" He knew Jondy was helping Joshua rehearse for the big wedding. Also he could tell that she was more than a little irritated that her mother wouldn't shut up and leave her alone.

Jondy looked at her watch. "Yeah, thanks. I told Joshua I would be there before three and it's almost that now." She walked over to say good bye to Max and Logan, then let Original Cindy know where she was going.

"It's a shame you have to rush off." Rebecka watched her daughter move from person to person. "I've barely had a chance to talk to Jondy." She looked up at Zane, startled to see the angry look on his handsome face.

Zane had, had enough. He had watched Jondy put up with a lot these past couple of days because she didn't want to ruin anything for Max. He, however was not going to stand around and watch his sister suffer for other people's inadequacies. "You've done nothing but talk to Jondy. If Max and Logan weren't so wrapped up in each other today, Max would be extremely hurt that you've completely ignored her since you've been here. Take the hint Rebecka. Jondy's not interested in making up for lost time. So why don't you stop falling all over her and show Max a bit of consideration for wanting to get to know you." Zane followed Beverly and Jondy out of the apartment, leaving a shaken Rebecka wondering what she had done to deserve his harsh words.

"So, what do you think about married life so far?" Logan hadn't been able to take his eyes off of his new wife since they got back to the apartment.

"It's not so bad." Max beamed at Logan. She still couldn't believe she was his wife. "This gift getting thing I could get used to." She giggled as Logan pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

"How long do you think we have to be sociable for before I can kick everyone out and be alone with my wife." Logan murmured in Max's ear before kissing his way down her neck.

"Listen up everyone!" Original Cindy stood in the center of the room and bellowed. "Party's moving to my place so the newlyweds can get down and dirty without an audience." She let out a throaty chuckle when Max blushed. "We'll see you when you two come up for air tomorrow Boo." She waved everyone out the door.

Max looked up at Logan. "Did you plan that with Original Cindy or has she suddenly become physic." Not that she wasn't grateful to her friend for successfully clearing the apartment in less than five minutes.

Logan shook his head. "No I didn't plan anything. I think she's been hanging with you and your siblings too much. She must have inherited your keen sense of hearing."

"I don't think that's it." Max let out a quiet moan as Logan went back to his glorious torture on Max's neck. "I think it's more likely she noticed that you couldn't keep your hands or for that matter your lips off of me."

Logan gave Max a mischievous grin. "Remind me to thank Original Cindy for being so observant." With that, he swept Max into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

Mole and Tek stood at the back of the church watching in amusement as Jondy walked Joshua through what he had to do for the wedding. She showed him the same patience and understanding that she showed her children.

"So what's so appealing about a normal that Max is willing to go through all this song and dance to marry him?" Mole grumbled. As far as he was concerned humans and transgenics shouldn't mix, let alone get married. 

Tek rolled his eyes. He had heard this argument from Mole before. "Well, apart from the fact that he loves Max, he's kind, considerate, keeps us in supplies including cigars for you? I have no idea what Max sees in Logan."

Jondy walked towards them holding Joshua's hand. "Actually it's because Logan is totally hot and a God in the sack." She kept walking past Mole and Tek dragging Joshua with her.

Tek slapped Mole on the back. "Well, you got your answer." He chuckled as he followed Jondy and Joshua out of the church.

Original Cindy nudged Alec. "So are you going to give me the heads up on why Jondy is sharing my crib instead of yours?" She grinned mischievously. "Not that I mind Sister Girl wandering around the place in next to nothing."

"I don't feel like talking about it." Alec wanted to talk to Jondy, but she had disappeared somewhere. Zane had returned though and had been alternating glares at Alec and Rebecka.

"Fine. I'll go ask Zane since the brother's been giving you a look that could turn you to stone." Original Cindy shrugged her shoulders and went to talk to Zane.

Krit stood beside Zane with his arm around Syl. "I can't believe Alec didn't know he'd done that."

Syl looked up at Krit. "I can't believe Alec's still in one piece."

"Jondy doesn't want to ruin Max and Logan's wedding." Zane smiled at Original Cindy when she walked up to them.

"Well you're doing a good job of exactly that by glaring at Alec and Rebecka like they committed some cardinal sin." Original Cindy poked Zane in the chest. "If you ruin my Boo's wedding, I'm gonna put the smack down on your ass."

Tinga walked up to the small group. "Where did Jondy go? Rebecka keeps asking if she should be taking so long." Secretly Tinga thought Rebecka should stop being so obsessive towards her daughter.

"She's helping Joshua." Zane shot Rebecka a filthy look over his shoulder. "Jondy won't leave Joshua until she's sure that he knows exactly what he's got to do in the wedding."

Syl giggled. "I guess we shouldn't expect her until midnight then. Joshua is so nervous that he's going to make a mistake."

Krit saw Jondy walk in the door. "Looks as though she managed to convince Joshua that he could perform his task easily enough."

Jondy managed to get across the room while still avoiding both Alec and Rebecka. "Joshua said to say hi. Rein called me on my cell and said he'd definitely be there on Saturday."

Jace heard what Jondy had said as she walked up to the group. "So how does Rein look?" She hadn't see her brother since they were children.

"Why don't you go and see for yourself." Jondy chuckled. "He works as a bouncer in a club down town." She noticed both Alec and Rebecka heading for her. "Can't I get even five minutes without those two plaguing me."

Zane looked slightly ashamed. "I sort of told Alec what he did. He probably wants to talk it through with you." He glance apologetically at Jondy. "Sorry."

Tinga nudged Jondy. "Why don't you go and talk to Alec. We'll stall Rebecka. I'll even try and see if I can get her to ease up on the overdoing the caring mother bit."

"Thanks." Jondy hugged her sister before heading for the roof with Alec. She didn't want to get into this right now, but Zane had forced her hand. "So how's Rachel?"

Alec realized straight away that Jondy knew where he had been last night. "Still dead. Why didn't you tell me J? I shouldn't have had to hear about my mistakes from your brother."

Jondy lost her temper and let her fist fly, knocking Alec across the rooftop. "Why should anyone have had to tell you Alec? You were conscious on at least one occasion. I shouldn't have had to tell you that I don't want to be your second choice." She had kept everything locked up inside her and now she had let a little bit out, everything else started to come flooding out. "I never expected marriage Alec, but I'm damned if I going to compete with a dead woman for your attention. I don't have time to waste on somebody who can't even get my name right when we're in bed together. I can't afford for you to slip up in front of my children and right now that's what I'm holding my breath hoping that you don't do."

Alec was speechless. His jaw was throbbing from the blow Jondy had given him. Slowly he stood up. "I'm sorry Jondy. I never meant to hurt you."

"Yeah, well you did." Jondy turned and headed back to Original Cindy's apartment. She was just grateful that this hadn't happened at Max and Logan's apartment.

Jace and Tinga sat chatting with Rebecka. The sad thing about the whole situation was Rebecka refused to believe that Jondy didn't want or need her birth mother. So deep in denial was she, that Rebecka thought that Zane was just being over protective with Jondy. It was easier than accepting Zane's words and giving Jondy some space.

Original Cindy could see by the controlled way Jondy was moving, that the X5 woman was not in any mood to be messed with. That was confirmed when Alec walked in nursing his jaw. By this time most of the non X5 guests had left and those who remained, knew about the transgenics. "So Boo, when are the kids arriving?" She decided Jondy's children was probably a safe subject.

"Day after tomorrow." Jondy rubbed the back of her neck. "I'll finish all of the alternation on the dresses tomorrow. So if you want any changes made to your dress, speak now. There's no way I'm going to be sewing next Saturday at the last minute." She slumped down on the sofa next to Zane's dog.

"So it's gonna slumber party central for a week." Original Cindy grinned.

"Is that alright with you?" Jondy hadn't even thought to ask if Cindy minded the whole family staying in the apartment. "I can always find somewhere else for us to stay."

"Fine with me Boo." Original Cindy rolled her eyes when she saw Rebecka heading towards them. "Your mother's not too bright is she?" Rebecka's persistence was starting to annoy Original Cindy as well.

"Is everything alright Jondy? You look a little stressed." Rebecka went to sit beside Jondy, but Zane's dog started growling at her.

"No. Every thing is not alright." Jondy had, had enough for one day and she was no longer willing to control her temper, especially after her conversation with Alec. "I'm fed up with you trying to force a relationship between us when I'm not interested in getting back a mother I didn't know I had. I'm fed up with you practically ignoring Max when she tries so hard to have a normal mother/daughter relationship with you. If you don't wise up soon you won't have Max or me, because Max is only going to put up with being ignored for so long before she decides you're not worth the trouble of getting to know."

Finally, what Zane and the others had been trying to warn Rebecka about, sank in. She had pushed Jondy too far and now Jondy didn't want to know her. Looking around at the faces watching her, Rebecka saw that they all had the same 'I told you so' expressions. Not knowing what else to do, Rebecka turned and walked out of the apartment.

No one dared mention the conversation between Jondy and Rebecka out of respect for Max's upcoming wedding. Jondy felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of her due to Rebecka's noticeable absence. 

Everyone was kept busy with wedding preparations and enjoying the rare moments that the X5s spent together as a family. Spouses and children of the X5s turned up in dribs and drabs to make it less obvious to any outsiders, that a major event was being prepared for.

On the Friday night before the second wedding the X5s, the Jam Pony crew, Logan and Bling all went to the club where Rein worked. It gave them a much needed break from the wedding preparations.

Rein stood by the dance floor watching Max, Jondy, Syl, Tinga, Jace and Original Cindy dancing. Keeping an eye out for any trouble which that many gorgeous women were bound to attract, he glanced briefly at Logan. "So how does it feel knowing that you are becoming part of a genetically engineered family?"

Logan chuckled. "I've considered your brothers and sisters family for quite a while now. Marrying your sister just makes it legal." Watching the women dancing on the dance floor, it was so easy to believe that they had feline DNA in them. Their movements were so graceful as if they were one with the music.

Rein gave Logan a half smile. "I see why Zane speaks so highly of you and I also understand why I hear Zack can't stand you." He sensed more than saw Logan's confusion. "You've made yourself part of the family, where as Zack always made out that he was our CO. Even though he always called the girls baby sister, he never acted the big brother. Max was always his favorite, but I don't think it would have helped his attitude towards you if he knew that Jondy was fond of you as well."

"Well, no offense," Logan didn't know Rein well enough to foresee how he would react to what Logan was about to say. "But if Jondy had voiced a problem with Max and I getting married, I would have hesitated asking Max to marry me. Only because Jondy wouldn't be disputing the marriage for any other reason but her sister's best interests. Zack has, as long as I've know him, been in love with Max. That has always been the reason he disliked me, although he did say it was because he felt I was putting Max's life in danger."

Rein scanned the crowd while listening to Logan. "The thing with Max and Jondy is that they both wanted a normal life. They had different ideas of what normal was, but they both knew it wasn't the life we were living at Manticore." He moved into the crowd to stop a drunk who was making his way towards Rein's sisters.

Herbal slapped Logan on the back. "I think I'd better take Sketchy home before one of your sisters in law knock him across the room. See ya tomorrow at the church."

"See you there." Logan's only worry about the wedding tomorrow, was that he might not be able to understand what Herbal was saying. Since Herbal was performing the ceremony, that could be a problem.

"Hey you." Max walked up to Logan and put her arms around his waist. "How about a dance before I spend the night at Terminal City."

Logan let Max lead him onto the dance floor. "Explain to me again why we have to spend the night apart when we are already married." He could think of much better ways to spend the night with his wife.

"It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding." Max replied as though it were a natural everyday occurrence for her. "We don't need to temp the hands of fate."

Logan couldn't argue with that logic. "Fair enough. I don't know how I'm going to get any sleep tonight with you gone."

"Well, at least you won't be alone." Max hadn't like the idea of Logan being in the apartment alone, especially with Alec being in the apartment below. Ordinarily that wouldn't be a problem, but she had found out that Jondy had dumped Alec and Max was worried that he had gone back to his beer and hookers ways.

"What do you mean?" Logan pulled Max closer as they swayed to the music. He thought for a moment that Max was planning to sneak back to their apartment.

"Zane, Krit, Rein and probably Alec are all spending the night with you. Sort of a bachelor party without the strippers." Max left out the fact that she had threatened her brothers with bodily harm if she found out they had brought in a stripper or a hooker for Logan.

"That's not necessary." Logan would rather spend the night alone than with a bunch of guys, if he couldn't be with Max.

"It was Bling's idea. He'll be there too." Max didn't necessarily want to spend the night with her sisters and Original Cindy instead of Logan. As Original Cindy said, it was only for one night. She and Logan would have the rest of their lives to spend together. 

Before Logan could protest any further, Bling walked up to the couple and told him it was time to go. Kissing Max good night, Logan left the club with the men, while Max headed back to Terminal City with Max.

Donald Lydecker woke up to the sound of his phone. Snatching up the phone he barked down the receiver at his caller. "It's three in the morning. This had better be important."

"It's Zeak. Thought you'd like to know there's a lot of activity going on at Terminal City tonight." Zeak was looking through a pair of binoculars while speaking to Lydecker on his cell.

"Define a lot of activity." Lydecker had been sure that Terminal City was where CJ was hanging out since his escape. He had put people on watch day and night, but so far nobody had spotted anyone going in or leaving.

"Looks like they're getting ready for a party of some sort." Zeak could see decorations hanging from some of the buildings. "Also one of my men saw the X5 male that X5 210 was hanging about with. He was outside the perimeter, then twenty minutes later he was spotted on the inside."

"Did your man see how the X5 male got in and out?" Something was going on. He could feel it in his bones.

"No. Deck, I'm not sure what's going on but I don't think the transgenics are celebrating anyone's birthday." Zeak ducked down in his car when a van load of women drove past, obviously heading home from a night on the town.

"I'll be there in ten." Lydecker was already reaching for his clothes before he hung up the phone.

Max looked at her sisters and tried not to laugh. "O C are you sure this is what women do on the night before their wedding?" She and her sisters had their hair piled on top of their head and one of Original Cindy's oatmeal face masks on their faces.

"Original Cindy may be a lesbian but that doesn't mean she don't know about the girly arts." Original Cindy pretended to be insulted, but her cheeky grin gave away her true feelings. "Now we wash the face masks off and Original Cindy will start on your nails."

As Jondy was removing the mask, she spotted Tek beckoning her. "Well, I'm going to check on CJ, so can you do my nails last."

"Sure thing Boo." Original Cindy took hold of Max's hand and began to file her nails. "I'll just start with Mrs Cale here."

"That is going to take some getting used to." Max smiled to herself, unaware of the look passing between her sisters. "Being called Mrs Cale."

"I don't know about that Boo." Original Cindy stopped filing Max's nails for a moment. "You practically glow every time hot boy's name is mentioned." She too, missed the silent conversation between the four sisters.

"I'm going to stretch my legs while you do Maxie's nails." Syl followed Jondy out the room they were using for the night. She waited until they were a decent distance away before she asked any questions. "So what's going on?"

Tek led the way to the command center where Mole was waiting for them. "I noticed this guy hanging around. He's been there since the early hours of yesterday morning. The only time he gets out of his vehicle is when he needs to relieve himself and even then he does that where he can keep his eyes on this place."

Syl turned to Jondy. "You know this guy?" She knew her sister had had more than one encounter with the South Africans. The man they were watching on the screen certainly fit the bill to be working for them.

"Zeak." Jondy glared at the screen. "He's one of the high ups in the South African operation. I think he's an old friend of Lydeckers."

Mole huffed. "That would explain why he turned up approximately five minutes after you ladies arrived." He glared at the two X5 women. "With all the activity and outsiders that are going to be here later today, I'd say Lydecker is waiting and watching for a way in."

Tek turned to the women. "According to Krit, Lydecker thinks Max and Jondy are dead. That could still work in our favor. As for the guests, we'll need an alternate entrance. How many of the guests will draw a lot of attention?"

Jondy went through the guest list in her head. "The only one that comes to mind is Sebastian. We may need to provide a distraction to get him in, but apart from that there's the Jam Pony crew and X5 spouses and children."

"They've learnt how to cover their tracks." Syl saw that Lydecker and Zeak had been joined by a few more men. "How the hell are we going to deal with this without ruining Max and Logan's big day?"

Mole's eyes travel down Jondy's body before going back to her face. "The dress you're wearing to the wedding, is there anywhere you can pack a gun into it?"

Tek shook his head. "I saw those dresses when Jace and Tinga dropped them off earlier. There's no way you can hide a gun in those outfits without Max and Logan catching on."

"We could strap a gun to our leg." Syl offered. "The thing is, it would look pretty obvious when we try and retrieve them."

Jondy had an idea. "Since I don't do guns, it's not a problem for me. If we can get hand guns with a silencer, then they can be hidden in our flowers. The guys shouldn't have any trouble hiding weapons under their jackets."

"Well, since you've got that all worked out I guess all we have to do is find another way in." Mole checked another couple of screens. "How do your kids feel about being thrown over the fence?" Mole turned to look at Jondy.

"They live for that kind of thing." Jondy managed a half smile.

Krit laughed as he got himself another beer. "How was I to know her father was the chief of police. It's not as though she had a badge tattooed on her ass or anything. At least not that I saw."

Logan shook his head. "You didn't think that maybe there was something up with your first out of Manticore girlfriend, when you went to her house and saw the police car."

"I only went to her house that one time and it was Halloween. I thought it was an elaborate costume." Krit shrugged his shoulders. "Cut me some slack. I was a horny fifteen year old."

"What about you Logan?" Zane teased. "It's rather risky doing the school principle's daughter on his desk."

"Not terribly comfortable either." Logan chuckled. "Considering it's your sister that I am marrying, I can't exactly be accused of not living life dangerously."

Rein suppressed a laugh as he answered his phone. "What's up?" He listened to Tinga as she relayed the new plans for the wedding. "Gotcha. See ya in a few hours."

"Something wrong?" Alec had caught the quickly masked worried expression on his brother's face.

"Slight change in plan." Rein would fill his brothers in on the big picture when Logan and Bling were out of earshot. "We'll be entering Terminal City through the rear entrance instead of the side."

"Is there a problem with side entrance?" Logan was concerned with the last minute change in plans.

Rein shook his head. "Just an extra safety precaution. Jondy just wanted to be sure every thing runs smoothly today. I guess motherhood makes her worry more." Tinga had told him that Logan wouldn't question the change in plans if he mentioned it was Jondy's idea.

"Oh." Logan relaxed. Jondy was always cautious when her children were close by. Catching sight of the clock he got slowly to his feet. "We'd better get ready. We only have a couple of hours." He headed for the bathroom to take a cold shower so he would be sober for his wedding.

Zane got to his feet. "We'll use Alec's apartment and meet you and Bling back here in an hour." He signaled to his brothers to follow him.

Once inside Alec's apartment, Krit voiced what everyone had been wondering. "So what's really going on at Terminal City? I get the impression it's more than half the wedding guests eating the floral arrangements."

Rein pulled out a hand gun that he had hidden in the bag he had brought with him. "Lydecker and his South African buddies are watching Terminal City. Jace has warned the Jam Pony crew and each of the girls have phoned up their families. Jondy's contacted Sebastian. Everyone has a different way to get in. You're not going to believe how they're getting the kids in."

Normal stood watching the insanity happening before him. "I can't believe that fool is stuffing potatoes in the exhaust pipes of cars that have men with guns in them." He looked at his watch. "We have half an hour to get inside."

Sketchy ran back to where Normal and Herbal were waiting for him. "We're all set. Signal the T C squad." This was all so cloak and dagger that Sketchy couldn't control his excitement at being part of it.

Herbal took off his watch and tilted it so that it caught the sun, which was making a rare appearance. Following the instructions that Jace had given him over the phone, he signaled the crowd that were waiting on the roof of the building adjacent to Terminal City.

Charlie looked at Zane doubtfully. "Are you sure about this?" He had his and Tinga's son strapped to him, just as Zane had one of Jondy's younger children strapped to him.

"It's this way or we take our chances getting past Lydecker and the South Africans, all while trying not to tip off Max and Logan." Zane would go down first followed by the oldest of Jondy's daughters. "Belinda you follow me, then Charlie's going to follow you."

"Sure thing Uncle Zane." Belinda had her baby sister Tinga strapped to her. "Just one question. Who's going to stop those men from shooting at us?"

"Your Aunts have got it covered." Krit waved to someone on the street before connecting Jace's husband Victor and their daughter up on the line. "Go Zane."

Lydecker looked up hearing the sound of motorcycles. "What the hell is that?" As he watched Syl, Jace and Tinga jumped the Terminal City fence on motorcycles. "After them." He bellowed into a walkie talkie.

As the vehicles were started the potatoes in the exhaust pipes created a second distraction. Neither Lydecker nor his men saw the children, X5s and Jace and Tinga's husbands flying down into the Terminal City grounds. They also missed the Jam Pony crew, Rebecka and Julia racing into Terminal City through the side entrance, while Bling, Logan and Sebastian entered through the rear.

Once everyone that was supposed to be inside Terminal City was accounted for, Rein called Tinga on her cell. The three women used the surveillance vehicles as a ramp and rode back into Terminal City jumping straight over Lydecker's head.

"What is going on inside there?" Lydecker muttered to himself. "Zeak! Get more men out here. We're going to find a way in there. It's the only way we're going to find out what's going on."

Jondy pinned a white rose to Joshua's new jacket. "You are going to do fine Joshua. I will be up the front to help you, but I don't think you're going to need any help."

"Joshua knows what to do." The dog man looked down at the tiny redhead before him. "You look really pretty." He pointed towards the entrance of the church. "Let's get this show on the road." Joshua's mouth fell open when he saw Max. "Little fella. You look beautiful."

"Thanks Big Fella." Max couldn't remember ever being this happy.

Jondy started making her way down the Isle on Zane's arm, followed by Krit and Syl, Tinga and Rein, then Alec and Jace. Bling and Original Cindy casually walked down the Isle before the wedding march started and Joshua with Max beside him made their way down the Isle.

Logan looked towards the rear of the church as Max glided down the Isle. She looked very much the part of a Princess, especially with the Cale family tiara which Jondy had somehow attached to her vale, perched on her head and entwined in her curls. One of the necklace and earring sets that Logan had given Max when his Grandmother had died, completed the picture. "Have you ever seen anyone so beautiful?"

Bling shrugged. "I don't know about that. I'm checking out the bridesmaids, they look pretty hot to me." He saw the X5 women stifling their grins. He had forgotten about their enhanced hearing.

Logan was smiling so much he thought his face would be stuck like that permenantly. At that moment he could care less. The woman he loved was marrying him for the second time in as many weeks. Reaching out his hand, he brought Max to stand beside him. "You look like a Princess." He, so badly wanted to jump the ceremony to the 'You may kiss the bride' part.

Max smiled through the vale. "I feel more like a bride in this dress than I did the red dress. On the up side my wardrobe has never looked better."

Herbal started the ceremony, carefully pronouncing every word so that the couple could understand him. Max and Logan looked up at him as if he had grown an extra head. "I thought this might work better if everyone could understand me."

"Thanks." Logan was somewhere between relieved and stunned.

"Dearly beloved." Herbal began again. "We are gathered here today to witness the marriage between this man and this woman."

Mole and Tek waved at Jondy from the doorway. Handing her bouquet to her daughter Leeza, she quietly made her way through the crowded church. Leeza took her mother's position at the alter so that it wasn't overly obvious that there was anything wrong.

"We've got gate crashers." Tek whispered to Jondy. "A lot of them. I don't know if we can keep this quiet."

"It's like Christmas time, only we're going to have to beat up Santa's elves for the presents." Mole as always was ready for a fight. "We have a team in position to catch the men coming over the South Side."

"Fine. Take their weapons and toss the men back over the fence." Jondy signaled the rest of her siblings, who one by one switched with some of Jondy's daughters and made their way through the church with their handguns. "As much as I'm sure you'd like to rip those men to pieces Mole, the last thing any of us need is for people on the outside claiming we're just a bunch of monsters. We don't need to give them any proof of that."

"I don't like this." Mole snarled, instantly regretting it when Jondy glared at him, her eyes like blue ice.

"Nobody says you have to like it Mole." Tek reasoned. "You know she's right though." He had to admire the way Jondy could render Mole speechless.

"We only have a few minutes before Max and Logan stop gazing into each others eyes and notice we have stand ins for this wedding." Zane pointed out. His dog had been with Jondy when she had come into Terminal City in the early hours of that morning. The canine now stood with it's master.

"How many gate crashers are we look at?" Krit couldn't believe most of his sisters had guns hidden in their bouquets.

"There's a team coming in on the South Side which we have covered." Tek explained. "There's a group standing waiting outside the North and a team on both East and West sides. They have us surrounded."

Syl shook her head. "The team on the North side won't come in. They're there to stop us getting past. Tear gas will probably fix that lot."

"So we split up and take the West and East sides." Rein suggested. It had taken a lot of years to get in touch with his family and he was not about to have a family get together ruined by Lydecker. "Any shots we fire can be used to wing the intruders."

"Let's get this finished quickly." Tinga spoke up. "We're missing most of the wedding."

"I heard that." Jace grumbled.

"Let's do this." Alec wasn't eager to get back to the wedding, but he figured that he owed Max and Logan for the flash apartment he was renting off of them at a reasonable price.

Lydecker watched the men go over the South Side wall with satisfaction. This had been so easy. He soon changed his mind when his men came flying back over the wall minus their guns. "North side team. What do you see?"

"Not a damn thing Sir. The transgenics have been alerted to our presence and have attacked with tear gas." The voice crackled across his walkie talkie.

"Damn it. East side team what is your position?" All that Lydecker got in reply was the sound of static. "Repeat. East Side, what is your position?"

Alec elbowed one man in face before spinning and kicking a second across the yard. "Can somebody answer Satan please. He's getting on my nerves."

Krit picked up the walkie talkie as he knocked a man's feet from under him and punched him in the face. "Where is Lydecker?"

"Last time I looked at the monitor he was on the South Side." Tek yelled as he threw one man into another.

Syl jumped kicked narrowly missing being hit with a taser. "Maybe we should take these guys to join him." She kicked up knocking the gun out of her attackers hand, before hitting the man in the face with his own gun.

Rein grinned as he punched forward hitting one man, then bringing his arm back and elbowing the man running up behind him in the face. "I'm in."

"East side. What is your position?" Lydecker demanded. He got his answer when his men came flying over the wall at him, minus their weapons. "These failed attacks are costing a small fortune in weapons." He still had one team left. "West side. What is your position?"

Zane grabbed the walkie talkie off of one of the men lying on the ground unconscious. "Come on Deck. You didn't honestly think that you could get anyone in here without us knowing did you?"

Mole leaned over Zane's shoulder. "Thanks for the weapons though Santa." He turned to Tinga, Jace and Jondy. "I can finish up here if you want to get back to the wedding."

"Thanks." Jondy kicked a man unconscious that was starting to recover. "Enjoy your new toys."

They all made it back to the church and into position just as Herbal asked. "Is there anyone who knows a reason why this man and this woman should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

"I am so going to beat the crap out of anyone who answers that question." Jondy muttered, while her siblings nodded in agreement.

Thankfully, nobody spoke up. Herbal grinned. He had got the order of the ceremony a little mixed up but rings had been exchanged, vows had been spoken. It was all good. "Max and Logan had pledged their love to each other through the self written vows."

"I'm glad I missed that part." Alec mumbled and got an elbow in the ribs from Rein.

"I now pronounce you man and wife." Herbal carried on unaware of Alec's comment. "You may kiss the bride."

Logan lifted Max's vale and kissed her as he had been wanting to do from the moment he saw her walking down the Isle. The applause was deafening.

As Max and Logan walked back down the Isle, Max looked up at Logan. "Do you have the feeling that there was something going on that we didn't know about while we were getting married?"

Logan nodded. "Normal videoed the wedding. Maybe we can see what's going on when we watch the tape."

Original Cindy handed Zane the tape from Normal's camera. "You gonna do some creative editing Boo? Make sure Logan and Max don't get wise to the sibling disappearing act you did?"

Zane nodded. "I'll be as quick as I can. We'll meet you in the mess hall." As he turned to walk away, he felt Original Cindy tug on his arm.

"What do you mean we'll?" She looked around her. "Where's Sister Girl?" Jondy was nowhere in sight.

Zack had arrived in time to see his brothers and sisters discreetly taking their places at the alter with Max and Logan. It hadn't been hard to sneak in since Lydecker's men were providing enough of a distraction. It had torn him apart to see Max looking so beautiful and so happy when he wasn't the one standing beside her.

He had left before Max or Logan could spot him, unaware that Jondy and Zane were both keeping an eye on him uncertain of what he would do. Zack had almost made it to the fence when Jondy caught up with him.

"Zack. What are you doing here?" Jondy had a feeling that there was another reason other than seeing Max get married.

Zack turned to face his sister. "I phoned the hospital in Florida to ask you something and they said you were away for two weeks for your sister's wedding. Max is the only sister that I knew her location. You all looked beautiful by the way."

"Thanks." Jondy had been self conscious of her scar, but she quickly reminded herself that it was Max's big day, not hers. "What did you want to ask me?"

Zack shrugged his shoulders. "Every now and then I get another memory come rushing back. You're the only person I trust to tell me if it's a real memory or reprogrammed one." He saw the obvious question on his sister's face. "I didn't call your cell because if Max was getting married, I wanted to be part of it even if that meant just sitting at the back of the church."

Jondy watched Zack silently for a moment. "I guess you'd better come to the reception then. I'll answer all of your questions and you can meet your nieces and nephews. This is Maxie's big day Zack, don't ruin it for her."

Zack nodded that he understood her warning. As they headed towards the mess hall he glanced at Jondy's outfit. "How the hell did you fight in that dress?"

Jondy grinned. "You don't think the split's this high just so I can show off my legs, do you?"

Logan froze for a moment when he saw who was walking in the door with Jondy. He watched Zane cross the hall to talk with his brother and sister. A moment later Jondy left Zack's side to walk up to Logan. "Relax. I hear you get to go home with the bride." She teased.

"Is everything alright?" Logan trusted Jondy's judgment and he noticed that Zane was almost standing guard over Zack.

Jondy squeezed Logan's hand. "Everything's fine. Zane and I won't let Zack out of our sight. Just make sure that you enjoy your wedding. Where are you going for your Honeymoon?"

Logan managed to relax a little. "France. I'm taking Max to Paris. The flight leaves at ten tomorrow morning."

Sketchy had appointed himself master of ceremonies and tapped his beer glass to get everyone's attention. He was actually surprised when everyone took their seats. "Ok. First of all I'd like to thank Rein for supplying the alcohol. Thanks man, I was worried that Max was going to make me drink sodas all night."

"The night's still young Sketchy." Max warned her friend, causing everyone to laugh.

"Fair enough." Sketchy continued while he was still allowed to speak. "We also owe our thanks to Jondy for making all of the dresses, cause these ladies look so damn fine." His comment was met with thundering applause. "I have no idea where you guys got all of these flowers and decorations from, but you guys are certainly artistic when it comes to decorating the church and this mess hall." Seeing that people were starting to get bored with listening to him, Sketchy decided to introduce Bling and Original Cindy. "I give you the best man and maid of honor."

Bling stood with Original Cindy by his side. "Well, I'm just relieved to be here today. I have never in my life met two people as stubborn as Max and Logan."

"I heard that." Original Cindy added.

"Max and Logan drove Original Cindy and I nuts not admitting they felt more than friendship towards each other." Bling pointed out.

"I thought they were going to get 'We're not like that' tattooed on their foreheads." Original Cindy complained.

"Despite all the dramas that life put them through and the dramas they put themselves through, they made it to the alter." Bling carried on.

"It's about damn time." Original Cindy put it.

Bling raised his glass. "So here's to the bride and groom, may they continue to butt heads."

Original Cindy raised her glass. "As long as they get busy afterwards."

After everyone had toasted them, Logan got to his feet. "First of all, I'd like to thank my wife's siblings and their families for not only putting this wedding together, but for also risking a run in with Lydecker so that they could be here today. You have no idea how much that means to Max and I. Also thanks to the Terminal City family for allowing us to share this day with them. Max and I have been blessed with great friends and family, not to mention a few miracles from a certain redhead."

Max stood to kiss her husband, before she turned to the crowd. "What he said."

The bride and groom enjoyed their first dance together before all of Max's brothers insisted they get a dance. Logan relented but only because Max's sisters all took their turn dancing with him.

Zack danced with Jondy. She had managed to clear up which memories were real for him. "Do you think I could get a dance with Max before I leave?" He felt strange asking his sister for permission.

Jondy nodded. "I think I can arrange that." She led Zack over to where Max and Logan were dancing. "Logan, how about a dance?" She had spent most of the night dancing with Joshua and Tek.

Logan let go of Max reluctantly. "Sure." He paused beside Zack. "I'm going to want my wife back." He wasn't afraid that Zack would kill him, he was afraid that Zack would take Max from him.

Zack nodded. "I'm not about to give Jondy and Zane a reason to kick my ass." He pulled Max gently into his arms. "So you're really happy?" He already knew the answer but he needed to ask anyway.

Max nodded. "I really am. I wish you could be happy for me." She had wanted her brother to be at the wedding, but not at the risk of Logan's life. This was like a dream come true for her, having him there and not having to worry what he might do.

"I'm getting there." Zack finished his dance and kissed Max on the cheek before walking out of the mess hall.

Zane walked up to Jondy who was still dancing with Logan. "I'll see you before you head home tomorrow." Kissing his sister on the cheek he followed Zack.

After not getting any sleep the previous night, Logan was starting to get weary. "How about we get out of here." He murmured when he finally got Max in his arms. It turned out he wouldn't get any sleep that night either. As soon as he carried Max over the threshold of their apartment, he felt as though he had a new burst of energy. Somehow making love to his bride seemed much more important than catching up on sleep.

The next morning Zane turned up on the doorstep to take Max and Logan to the airport. "So did you get any sleep in the past two days?" Zane teased when a half asleep Logan opened the door.

"No." Logan pointed to the bags by the door. "Could you put those in your car while I try and drink a gallon of coffee." He gestured to the bedroom door. "Max is still getting dressed."

Zane nodded as he saw Max emerge from the bedroom behind Logan. "Jondy said she had made an extra dress for you, but I though she was joking."

Logan turned to see what Zane was talking about and instantly woke up. "Forget the coffee."

Dressed in a cobalt blue sundress Max walked towards her husband and brother. The dress had a sweetheart neckline and the straps were tiny linked crosses, with the skirt finishing at mid calf. "So are ready to go? Everyone else is meeting us at the airport."

Logan grabbed their jackets and held the door open so that Max could proceed him, before grabbing one of the bags off of Zane. "God I'm a lucky man."

Getting Max and Logan on the plane was easy enough. It wasn't until the plane was airborne that Jondy burst into giggles. "That's going to be an interesting flight." When she got a lot of blank looks Jondy explained. "Max is in heat."

Gathering up her children she said good bye to her siblings and their families as well as Original Cindy and Bling. "Julia, are you alright to do the driving." Jondy actually felt quite shattered after the last two weeks.

"That's fine dear." Julia could see everything had started to take it's toll on Jondy. She hadn't missed how miserable Alec looked either, but knew well enough not to question Jondy about what had happened between them.

"Thanks." She looked down at her children. "Everyone say good bye to Grandma Rebecka and then we've got to go. You guys have school tomorrow." Jondy, herself made no move towards Rebecka. She would not deprive her children of their Grandmother, but she no longer wanted anything to do with her.

The flight steward knocked on the toilet door. "Mr and Mrs Cale? Are you alright?" He waited for an answer but all he heard was a lot of heavy breathing. He was beginning to get concerned as the couple had spent the entire flight locked in there. "I'm going to have to ask you to take your seats. The plane is about to land."

The door opened and out calmly walked Max and Logan. The only clue to what had been going on, was Logan's shirt which had been buttoned up incorrectly. Taking their seats and doing their belts up, Logan couldn't help but laugh. "What a great way to start our marriage."

_The End_


	41. Oops, I did it again

**"Oops, I did it again"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:** Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Tek and Rein however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.  
**Summary:** Logan and Max come back from their Honeymoon to find some things never change.  
**Timeframe:** Occurs after Freak Nation, follow up story to And the Bride Wore Red, White and Blue.  
**Rating:** PG - some graphical violence  
**Category:** Drama, Romance, Action  


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Ames White was a sorry sight to behold. Most people who had encountered him before his arrest had considered that he had a screw loose. Recently he had been muttering to himself about 'The Coming' and his idiot brother. Nobody knew what his insane ramblings meant, but they could pin point when they had started. Ever since the tape of the Cale Recreation Center opening had been delivered, White had been acting completely insane.

Clemente stood beside Matt Sung at the coffee machine. "Any change with White?"

Matt Sung shook his head. "No. I'll give a couple of people a call that I know. They may be able to make some sense out of White's insane ramblings."

Clemente nodded, giving his authorization for the call. "Do it. Keep me informed."

Matt quickly dialed Logan's number and left a message on the answering machine, realizing that Logan wasn't back from his Honeymoon yet. "I hope Logan can help with that nut job White."

Logan kicked the apartment door closed behind him as he carried his bride of four weeks into their home.

Max burst out giggling. "Our luggage is still downstairs with Bling. I don't know about you, but most of the clothes that I own are in those bags."

Logan chuckled as he walked into the bedroom and laid his wife down on their bed. "We won't be needing any clothes." He left Max long enough to close the bedroom door.

Bling unlocked the apartment door and carried the luggage inside with some help from Original Cindy. "So the Pilot walks up to me and asks if Max and Logan are friends of mine."

Original Cindy put the bags in her hands down by the closed bedroom door. "So what did he say when you said yes? And Max and Logan were where by the way when all of this was happening?"

Bling also put the bags he was carrying by the bedroom door. "They were about to turn the departure lounge into a hotel room. So the Pilot tells me that Mr and Mrs Cale are banned from flying with that particular airline, because they spent the entire flight using the bathroom cubical as the Honeymoon suite."

"Damn." Original Cindy had known that Max had been in heat when on the flight leaving Seattle, but not on the flight back from Paris. "I'd never pictured Logan being that adventurous. I'm impressed that they can both still walk. Do you think they saw much of Paris?"

"I doubt it." Bling shook his head remembering the conversation at the airport. "Then this other Pilot who overheard our conversation, tells me that the same thing happened on the flight that he was piloting from Seattle to Paris a few weeks ago."

Original Cindy chuckled. "Maybe Logan got some rabbit DNA in that last transgenic blood transfusion he received."

"You know, we can hear you two in here." Max's voice called out from the other side of the closed bedroom door.

"Yeah, well according to the Pilot of your return flight, everyone on the plane could hear the two of you." Bling called back.

"That would explain the applause." Logan retorted.

"We're gonna go now and leave you two to set a world record or two." Original Cindy couldn't believe that Max and Logan were still acting as though it was their wedding night. "But you'd better be out of that room by eight tonight, ready to feed us and share non x-rated details of your time in Paris." Without waiting for confirmation Original Cindy walked out of the apartment with Bling behind her.

When Logan finally checked his messages, he was surprised by how many people had been looking for him. He hadn't realized that going on his honeymoon would be so inconvient to others. The strange thing was, he didn't care. Problems could be sorted out now that they were back. He wasn't going to trade his marriage for a war he didn't start. Logan would still try to help, but for him it was now a case of Max came first.

Max walked in as Logan was reading his last email. "So I guess the world is still broken." She sat down on his lap.

"Yeah." Logan wrapped his arms around his wife. "Bullet called. He and Ralph are now the proud parents of a baby boy. They've called him Jayden. He also mentioned that he thinks Sandeman is heading for Seattle."

Max raised an eyebrow. "I guess that will make CJ happy. I spoke to Jondy. She said to say hi."

"How's she doing?" Logan was rather fond of his sister in law and wondered if life would ever treat her kindly. She had, had more than her fair share of rough times.

Max shrugged. "You know Jondy. She never complains, but I think she's keeping herself busy with work and the children. She sounded lonely. I'm not really sure what Alec did to make her dump him, but Zane looked about ready to kill him at our first wedding reception."

"At least she's safe for the moment." Logan cautiously approached his next sentence. "Matt Sung left a message on our answering machine. Seems that White has gone even more insane since Lydecker sent that tape to him. Matt says he's been muttering about 'The Coming'. I'm wondering if Sandeman coming to Seattle means 'The Coming' whatever that is, isn't far away."

Max let an exasperated sigh. "This is not the way I pictured us starting our marriage. I figured saving the world would be a seventh anniversary event." She gave Logan a quick kiss. "I'm going to Terminal City and check in, tell CJ that his father could be arriving. Maybe I'll find more out about 'The Coming' now that he's not doped up to the eye balls."

"Ok. I'll get some work done while you're out." Logan was frustrated that the outside world was already intruding on them. "Remember we have guests coming for dinner."

Sandeman walked through the Seattle streets. He had no idea when he created the transgenics, that it would all come to this. The transgenics were reasonably safe inside Terminal City. No matter how well the buildings inside the fences of Terminal City had been restored, the trans humans were still inside a cage. At least it was a bigger, better furnished cage. Still it was the only chance the transgenics had of living a normal life.

Sandeman watched from a short distance away. His creations seemed happy enough and despite the transgenic detectors that were fitted to most police cars, he suspected that some of the more human looking transgenics were still walking outside the fences somehow undetected. If his suspicions were correct, it would prove difficult to locate Max.

The National Guard had the exits pretty closely guarded. There was no way he could sneak in. All he could do was wait for someone who could lead him to Max. He hoped that he wouldn't have to wait long. 'The Coming' was approaching fast and Max was the only one who could prevent it.

Max sat beside CJ in the control center. "Do you know exactly when 'The Coming' is going to happen?" She didn't want to dampen CJ's enthusiasum about his father coming to Seattle, but Max had a feeling they didn't have time to waste.

CJ shook his head. "No. Father knows though. It has to be close cause the ritual with the snakes and the costumes and the make up with the dancing around the fire had already taken place."

"Great. More snakes, costumes and make up." Max stared at Joshua who was leaning against the door. "I don't suppose Sandeman shared anything to do with 'The Coming' with you back at Manticore."

Joshua shook his head. "Sorry Little Fella. Remember what Logan said about the runes he translated. You are the one to stop 'The Coming'. So father will come looking for you."

Max could see the sense in what Joshua said. "Thanks Big Fella. Providing he's been watching the news, he'll probably head straight for Terminal City."

Joshua moved away from the door and gently patted Max on head. "We'll keep a look out for Father. It's time for you to go. Remember Original Cindy and Bling are coming around for dinner."

Max wished Joshua could be there too, but things hadn't improved outside the fences enough to risk Joshua being seen. "I brought you some things back from Paris." She handed him the paper bag she had brought with her. "It's from Logan and me."

Joshua pulled the contents of the bag out. Max and Logan had brought him a tiny statue of the Eiffel Tower and one of Notre Dame as well as postcards featuring both monuments so that Joshua could see a part of Paris. "I can't go to Paris, so you brought some of Paris back for me." He kissed Max's forehead. "Thank you. Thank Logan for me too."

Max wondered if the world would ever accept Joshua. The world was losing out big time if it didn't. "You're welcome. I've gotta blaze, but I'll see you guys tomorrow." As Max headed home, she felt a pang of guilt that Joshua would never get to go to places like Paris or even out of Seattle. She kept to the shadows so nobody saw her leave, not even Sandeman.

Original Cindy flicked through the photos that Logan had handed her before he went back to cooking dinner. "Glad to see you two left the Honeymoon Suite once during your time in Paris." She handed the photos to Bling.

Logan chuckled. "We had to pick up some things so we put aside one day for that." He remembered the look of excitement on Max's face when they visited the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. It was worth leaving the hotel room just to see Max's face light up as it had that day.

"Does that mean you and my Boo got us presents." Original Cindy looked around her. "Speaking of which, where is Max?"

"She went to Terminal City to let them know that we're back." Logan glanced at the clock on the oven, wondering what was taking Max so long. Just then he heard the front door open and a moment later Max walked into view. "I was going to phone Terminal City and get them to tell you dinner would be ready in five minutes." Logan joked as he kissed his wife.

"Don't you two get started on that again." Original Cindy jokingly warned. "I'm starving and don't need a floor show with dinner. Plus I want whatever you brought me back from Paris."

Max rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll go get your presents while Logan finishes dinner."

Dinner was a mixture of laughter, stories of Paris sights and longing looks between Max and Logan. It was midnight before Original Cindy and Bling decided that they couldn't take Max and Logan drooling over each other any longer and went home.

Max reached up and hooked her hands around the back of Logan's neck. "As much as I love Bling and Cindy, I prefer having my husband to myself." She raised herself on her toes and kissed Logan. "I missed you while I was at Terminal City."

Logan gave her a dazzling smile. "I missed you too. I agree with you about Bling and Original Cindy. I don't like sharing my wife." As he swept his wife up into his arms, Logan remembered one of the reasons that she had gone there. "By the way, did CJ tell you when we can expect 'The Coming' to arrive."

Max shook her head. "He doesn't know. We'll have to wait for Sandeman to arrive to find that little tib bit out. All CJ could tell me was that it must be pretty close because the snake dance around the fire has already happened." She frowned at Logan. "Can I just say that discussing 'The Coming' is a real passion killer."

"Sorry." Logan walked towards their bedroom. "I promise I'll make it up to you." And so he did. For several hours.

The next morning at Terminal City, Mole called Joshua into the command center. "Max isn't even living here anymore and we're still doing her dirty work for her." He grumbled before Joshua walked through the door.

"I heard that." Joshua growled. "What do you want?" He had grown tired of Mole's constant grumbling.

Mole quickly realized that he was pushing his luck and lightened up. "There's this old guy outside the fence. He's been there for a while. You've seen Sandeman recently." He pointed to a figure standing in the shelter of a nearby building on the screen. "Is that our great creator?"

Joshua looked at the man on the screen. "That's father. Call Max. I don't know how much time we have until 'The Coming'. If father is in Seattle, I'd say we haven't got long."

Logan groaned as the sound of the ringing phone dragged him from his blissful sleep. He carefully reached for the phone so that he didn't wake his sleeping wife, who was cuddled up against him. "Hello?"

"Logan. It's Mole. We think we've spotted Sandeman." Mole resented having to deal with a normal, but it was better than being bossed around by Max. "I got Joshua to ID him just to make sure."

"Where is he now?" Logan knew it was important to contact Sandeman, but he and Max had only just come home. He had thought they'd get a little time to themselves.

"He's watching Terminal City from the old bank. I think he's been out there all night." Mole stared at the man on his screen. For a man that was the creator of just about everything living inside Terminal City, he didn't look like much.

"We'll be right there." Logan knew they probably didn't have time to leave Sandeman hanging around outside Terminal City. There was too greater chance that one of Lydecker's men might find him. "Thanks Mole."

As Logan hung up the phone, he realized with great surprise that Max was not only still asleep, but that she was still in bed. Even on their honeymoon Max had either been awake watching him sleep or walking around trying to find something to eat. He felt her forehead to make sure that she wasn't running a temperature. No. No temperature.

"Max honey." Logan gently woke his wife. "Mole says Sandeman is standing outside Terminal City." He hated waking her. It was so rare that he got to watch her sleep.

Max stretched as she woke. "Is it time to save the world again?" She opened her eyes to see the worried look on Logan's face. "What's wrong?"

Logan shook his head and kissed her fore head. "Nothing. It's just not like you to sleep so long. Are you feeling alright?"

Max nodded. "I feel fine. You must be wearing me out." She joked as she swung her legs out of the bed. As she showered and dressed, Max realized she had been sleeping a lot more than she usually did. Shrugging she pushed the thought aside, deciding she would ask Jondy if there was any need for concern the next time she spoke to her.

Outside of the Terminal City fences Zeak sat in a car watching the normal everyday occurrences inside the fences. Every experiment that had been conducted to recreate the Manticore soldiers had been a complete and utter failure. With X5 210 dead, there was only one other person with the knowledge to bring Manticore back to life and Zeak was beginning to think Sandeman was a ghost.

A movement from a nearby building caught his eye. Zeak watched as an old man moved out of the shadows and greeted a woman who looked remarkably like X5 452. Dialing a number on his cell phone he kept his eyes on the man and woman while he waited for his call to be picked up. "Deck. I've got good news. I think I've found Sandeman."

"You're a hard man to track down." Max felt some satisfaction noticing that she had made Sandeman jump. "We'd better get you inside Terminal City before Lydecker and his friends show up."

"Why would that be a problem?" Sandeman was confused. The last time he had seen Donald Lydecker, it had seemed as though they were all on the same side. Although he did recall there was some reluctance on the part of the X5s.

Max signaled someone to come and get them. "Things change. Lydecker decided he wanted to be King of the Manticore castle and swapped sides. He's working with the South African's to recreate Manticore. So far he's lacked the one person that can make his sick, twisted dream a reality."

Sandeman took a guess at what Lydecker's missing person was required to do. "So he needs your sister Jondy or myself to be able to splice the different DNA together."

"Pretty much." Max opened the door of the van that had just pulled up in front of them. "Get in. We'll take you to CJ."

Sandeman was shocked. He knew that Logan had promised to try and find his son, but he hadn't got his hopes up that they would succeed. "Are you sure this is actually my son?" He had been tricked once. He didn't want to go through that again.

"As sure as we can be." Max climbed into the front of the van beside Logan. "We'd better get our cargo inside the perimeter quick. I saw Deck's buddy make a phone call. We're going to have company real soon."

Logan turned the van around and headed for the hidden entrance into Terminal City. "Great, just what we need. We're trying to stop something similar to the ending of the world as we know it and Deck wants to play mad scientist."

Once they were safely inside the perimeter, Max headed for the command center while Logan took Sandeman to see CJ.

Max raced through the door. "Heads up Boys. The Lydecker Brigade is heading this way. He's been tipped of that Sandeman's in Seattle and I'm not in a sharing mood."

Mole snorted. "Why don't they just toss their weapons over the fence. It'll save us the trouble of taking them off of them. It's not even a challenge anymore."

"I can't see that ever happening, but we can dream." Max pointed to the monitor. "If we can keep them contained in this area, we can use the rear entrance to come and go when we need to."

"You want Sandeman to stay here at Terminal City?" Tek wondered if that was a good idea considering the knowledge that Sandeman had. Every man and his dog would want to get their hands on him.

Max nodded. "It's the safest place for him at the moment. As soon as we can, we'll relocate both Sandeman and CJ. If the conclave freaks find out he's here, they'll want to stop him as well."

Joshua could sense the tension in the room. He knew that neither Tek nor Mole wanted the added danger that Sandeman's presence brought upon them. Everyone in the room knew that they needed Sandeman's help to stop 'The Coming'. "I'll watch over Father and CJ. We may need more help in stopping 'The Coming'. Most of us can't go outside the fence line without getting shot at."

Max had considered that already. "First we find out what we're going to be facing with 'The Coming', then I'll call in my siblings if I have to."

"Just call that red headed sister of yours in." Mole joked sarcastically. "She's pretty terrifying when she's pissed off."

"I'm not calling anyone until I know what we're up against." Max rolled her eyes. "In the meantime, let's see if we can get Lydecker and his gun toting merry men out of the way. Even if it's only temporary." Max headed out of the door with Joshua right behind her. "How many times do we have to keep saving the world before these nutcases stop going 'oops, I did it again. There goes civilization as we know it."

Sandeman couldn't control his relief at getting his son back. How he could have possibly believed the decoy that Ames had set up with was his son. Hugging CJ, he knew without a doubt that this young man was his son.

"Look, I don't want to interrupt this family reunion," Logan butted in. "But CJ seems to think the preparations for 'The Coming' have already started. Is there anyway we can stop this before it's too late." He wanted to add 'without getting my wife involved' but he knew from what little information that they had, that Max was somehow the key to stopping 'The Coming'.

CJ nodded enthusiastically. "The ritual dance around the fire with the snakes had already taken place."

"How long ago?" Sandeman didn't realize the preparations were that far along.

"About eight months ago." Logan was concerned at the tone of Sandeman's voice. "We don't have a lot of time, do we?"

Sandeman shook his head. "No. As soon as the planets align it will only be a matter of hours. The Head Priestess will perform the ceremony, but there are certain ingredients she will need. If we can stop the ceremony being preformed or prevent the conclave from obtaining several of the ingredients, then we can stop 'The Coming'."

"What's to say the conclave haven't already obtained the ingredients." Max's voice made everybody jump.

"It's not possible." Sandeman looked Max straight in the eye. "You're one of the ingredients."

Logan felt as though an icy hand had gripped his heart. "What the hell have you done Sandeman. You told us that Max had the ability to survive some sort of germ warfare when the rest of us can't. Now you're telling us that she's part of the cause not the solution."

"She's both." Sandeman didn't know how he was going to explain to everyone in the room, especially Logan. He had only just noticed the matching wedding bands that Max and Logan wore. "Congratulations on your marriage by the way."

Joshua stepped in between Sandeman and Logan. "If Little Fella is one of the ingredients, won't it stop 'The Coming' just by stopping the conclave from getting to Max?"

Sandeman shook his head. "That's not enough. The conclave must be stopped from completing the ceremony. We won't even know where the ceremony is going to take place until the planets align."

Max avoided looking at Logan. She knew that there was no way that he was going to put her in danger even if it meant saving the planet. "First let's see if we can find out when the planets are going to align. Then we'll call in the X5 factor." Once she had an idea of how much time she had then she could try and work through everything with Logan.

Logan headed for the command center to use the computers. This wasn't fair. He had only just married Max and now he was in danger of losing her. His fingers swept along the keys as he tapped into several astronomy sites, so that he had a more accurate answer for the others.

He felt Max walk in behind him just before she rested her hands on his shoulders. "It looks as though we have exactly a week. Seven whole days."

Max maneuvered herself around in front of Logan and sat down on his lap. "I have to do this. We don't have a choice."

Logan pulled Max closer and buried his face in her hair. "I don't want to lose you. There has to be another way. Let somebody else save the world for once."

Max wished this could be somebody else's burden. "You're not going to lose me. We need to get my siblings into Seattle fast. We always have Jondy as a wildcard if we need to play that hand. Besides, I know you're going to do everything possible to keep me safe. Everything's going to work out fine."

"Don't suppose I can get you to agree to run away and hide with me." Logan was only half joking.

Max managed a weak smile. "No. You can help me phone my siblings though." She had a feeling that they were going to need as many X5 hands on deck as possible.

Logan gave her a reluctant nod. "That shouldn't take too long. If we call Jondy, she'll contact Zane. Syl will contact Krit and Tinga will contact Jace. That just leaves Alec and Rein. We can stop by and up date them on our way home."

"Why don't you call Jondy while I call Syl?" Max knew that her sister would reassure Logan that between the lot of them, they would keep Max safe and stop 'The Coming'. Jondy was the calm before the storm and the storm all wrapped into one.

Alec walked up to Joshua and slapped the dog man on the back. "Hey Joshua. What's going on?" Then he spotted Sandeman. "When did the Manticore King arrive?"

"This morning." Joshua, for once wished that Sandeman had never existed. Maybe then they wouldn't be trying to stop 'The Coming'. "He was waiting outside the perimeter all night."

"I guess that explains why Lydecker and his troops are all sitting out front." Alec hadn't been surprised to see the uninvited guests when he had arrived a few minutes ago. What did surprise him was the depressed look on Joshua's face. "Hey, I thought you'd be happy to see Sandeman."

Joshua shook his head. "Father told us that Max is the only one who can stop 'The Coming'. She's also one of the main ingredients in it being brought forth."

Alec let out the breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. "How's Logan taking the news?" Considering Max and Logan had only recently got married, this was not the perfect start to a marriage.

"Not well." Joshua looked over Alec's shoulder at Sandeman bonding with his son. "They're going to call the others into Seattle. I think they're making the phone calls now."

Mole and Tek walked in while Alec and Joshua were talking. "The lovebirds are organizing a one month anniversary family get together." Mole rolled his eyes. "We're supposed to keep Lydecker and the South Africans busy and out of the way."

Tek glared at Sandeman. "Logan found out that the planets are due to align in seven days." It was like looking at a human shaped bad luck symbol. "So are you planning on ruining anymore lives while you're in town."

Sandeman was about to argue that he wasn't to blame, but he had hidden the cure in Max's DNA. In a way he was to blame. The thing that hit home just how hard the news he had brought with him had affected the people of Terminal City, was Joshua's silence. The huge man hadn't uttered a word to him since Max had left for the command center. "I'd say I'm sorry, but I doubt anyone would believe me."

"When we all get through this," Logan's voice startled all of them. He stood in the doorway with his arm around Max. "I'll find somewhere safe for you and CJ to relocate to. After that, I never want to clap eyes on you ever again. If I find out that you are anywhere near my wife after that time, I will kill you." Nobody had ever seen Logan look so mad.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Sandeman wasn't sure he could stop 'The Coming' even with Max's full co-operation.

"What did you mean to do when you started Manticore?" Logan wished that he and Max had stayed in Paris. "Not that I'm ungrateful for my wife being created, but you could have put a stop to all of this a long time ago. Look around you Sandeman. You're surrounded by people that you helped create. They're good people but the minute they step outside these fences, they might as well paint a target on their backs. My sister-in-law has a scar zig zagging down her body that won't heal. All because you started something that Lydecker wants to finish and he wants Jondy's unwilling assistance to do that. Obviously the conclave doesn't need Max alive to bring forth 'The Coming' as your son Ames ran over my wife with a truck last year. You didn't mean for any of this to happen? Well, excuse me if I don't give a shit."

Max tugged gently on Logan's hand. "Come on. Let's go home." She wanted to get Logan out of there before he completely lost it and attacked Sandeman. "Alec, could you let Rein know what's going on."

Alec nodded. "Yeah, no problem. When are the others arriving?" If they only have seven days to stop 'The Coming', they would have to work fast.

"Syl mentioned something about Krit borrowing a plane and flying some of the others in." Max felt a little better knowing that her siblings were already heading for Seattle. "Some of them will be here in the morning." She left the room practically dragging Logan behind her.

For once Mole actually felt sorry for Max and Logan. "Come on Tek. Let's see what we can do about the toy soldiers out front."

Tek followed Mole. "Why don't we just move the fence line and trap them in here with us?"

Mole grinned. "That's not a bad idea."

Lydecker stepped out of his vehicle and went to stand beside Zeak's car. "Are you sure it was X5 452 you saw?"

Zeak nodded. "You know your kids better than I do Deck, but it seems strange that everything's gone so quiet inside those fences."

Lydecker glanced into he grounds. Zeak was right. It was too quiet. "They know we're here." He got the sense that he was being stalked. "Move out."

"We can't Sir." One of the men gestured around them. "I don't know how they did it, but they've caged us in."

Lydecker looked around him. The transgenics had quickly, quietly and efficiently put up three wire fence panels and connected them to the existing fence line. "They're doing what they've been trained to do. Catch the enemy with their guard down." He saw one of the soldiers go to shove the fence. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." He bent down and picked up a stone and tossed it at the fence. Sparks flew off the fence when the stone made contact. "They're keeping us out of the way. The question is why?"

In the command center Mole and Tek chuckled as they watched Lydecker thump the car he was standing by in frustration. That was one problem out of the way, now all they could do is wait for the X5's to arrive. Only time would tell whether or not they could stop 'The Coming'.

_...to be continued._


	42. The Coming

**"The Coming"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:** Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Tek, Devon and Rein however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.  
**Summary:** With 'The Coming' fast approaching Max and her siblings have to race to stop the conclave from finishing what they started.  
**Timeframe:** Occurs after Freak Nation, Follow up story to Oops, I did it again.  
**Rating:** PG - some graphical violence  
**Category:** Drama, Romance  


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Adam stroked the nose of the black mare inside the pen as he thought about Max. It seemed so unbelievable that only a month ago, she had married Logan. He just hoped that she was happy.

Sensing that someone was behind him, Adam spun around to find his favorite redhead sitting on the fence, the wind blowing her copper colored hair out behind her. Beside her sat her tattoo covered brother. "So what brings you two to this neck of the woods?"

Jondy grinned, her blue eyes sparkling. "We thought you might want to come and help us save the world."

Zane mirrored his sister's amused look. "If it's alright with your four legged lady friend, that is."

Adam rolled his eyes at their teasing. "When do we leave?"

Max felt Logan's arms tighten around her pulling her closer. They hadn't slept all night. The prospect of what they were about to face so early in their marriage had left them not wanting to lose sight of each other for a second.

They had made love slowly, savoring each touch, each sigh, each moan of pleasure in case it was their last. That was how they had spent the entire night, not wishing to speak of the fear each had waiting to break out and surround them.

Now they lay entwined in each other, knowing Max's siblings would descend on them at any moment. Every second would be focused on stopping 'The Coming'. There would be no time to worry or fear. There was too much at stake to let emotions prevent them from doing what needed to be done.

"We'd better get out of bed." Max mumbled. "My brothers and sisters will start arriving at any moment." She didn't want to move. She could have quite happily stayed like this, wrapped in the security of Logan's arms forever.

"I guess so." Logan kissed the top of Max's head. "If we can find out what the rest of the ingredients are maybe it won't get as far as the day of 'The Coming'. Can't say I'll be happy to see Sandeman again."

Max untangled herself from Logan and pulled on a red bathrobe that had originally been Logan's. "God, you sound so hot when you talk business." She teased.

Logan couldn't help but chuckle at his wife. "You keep talking like that, we are never leaving this room." He pulled on a bathrobe as well and followed his wife out the door.

Sitting waiting in the apartment living room were Max's siblings, all but Zane and Jondy. Krit grinned at the couple who didn't seem that surprised to see so many people in their living room. "You know what Logan, I think Max is right. You sound so hot when you talk business." He grinned mischievously.

Logan rolled his eyes upward. "How is it I forget how good your hearing is?" When Jondy had first stayed in his guestroom of his old apartment, she had warned him that the X5s could hear what was going on in the next room.

Syl lightly slapped Krit's head. "Leave them alone. Newlyweds think everything about each other is hot."

Tinga giggled at her sister. "And you would know this how?" It struck her as funny that her sister talked as though she were an expert. 

"I think I may have mentioned it." Jace grinned. "But only because I didn't think she was paying attention. As I remember, Krit was doing pushups shirtless at the time."

Max shook her head in amusement, but then noticed that she was two siblings short. "Where are Jondy and Zane? I thought they'd be arriving with the rest of you."

Rein shook his head. He had picked everyone up from the airport. "Jondy said she had to make an important stop before coming here so Zane went with her."

Alec looked down at his boots. "He's gone along to protect her. That's not going to be easy."

Max could see the guilt on Alec's face even though he had done a good job of trying to hide it. "What exactly happened with you and Jondy?"

"It seems I talk in my sleep." Alec began sheepishly. "Which might not have been so bad if I hadn't called Rachel's name out instead of Jondy's at the wrong moment."

Logan couldn't believe Alec had blown it so badly. "And you're still alive why?" He had seen Jondy's temper at full force and knew she would never forgive and forget.

"She didn't want to ruin your wedding so she settled on giving me a black eye and a tongue lasing." Alec knew he deserved to be hanging from a vital organ from the space needle.

Before Max could utter any sort of response, Jondy walked into the apartment with Zane and Zack. "Got anything to eat?" Jondy grinned at Logan.

"Hello to you too." Logan kissed her cheek and shook hands with Zane and Zack. He was slightly wary of Zack being there, but at that moment they needed all the help they could get.

After a noisy breakfast they all headed to Terminal City. They would need a play by play description of every event involved in 'The Coming' if they were to have any chance of stopping it. Not one of the X5s were interested in having Sandeman near their sister for one second longer than necessary.

Zane walked into the command center and shook hands with Mole, Tek and Joshua. "Hey guys. How's it going?"

"Not bad considering we could be facing the end of the world." Mole sarcastically replied. "Where's the redhead?" He had noticed that Zane seldom let Jondy out of his sight when they were both in Seattle.

"Talking to CJ." Zane ignored Mole's sarcasium. He spotted the extended fence line and it's occupants on one of the monitors. "What happened there?"

Tek gave him a throaty chuckle. "We found some stray animals yesterday. We thought we'd better cage them up for everyone's safety."

Joshua saw Jondy walk into the room and quickly hugged her. "Lydecker's out of the way for the moment." He explained when he saw the confused frown on her face at the sight of the men laughing at something on the monitor. "We've got your back."

"That's good to know." Jondy smiled up at her friend. "Zane, we're meeting in the mess hall. I don't want to leave Zack near Logan for too long without you or I watching him."

Mole frowned. "If you don't trust him, then why is he here?"

Zane answered for his sister. "Because he'd give his own life before he'd let anyone take Max's." He followed Jondy out the door.

"Well, this should be interesting at the very least." Tek turned back towards the monitor. "Do you think we ought to put a 'Do not feed the animals' sign on that part of the fence?"

Sandeman glanced around the table at the X5s. He couldn't be prouder even if they had been his actual children. But he knew that was the last thing any of them wanted to hear. They had come together for one reason, to keep Max safe.

He had drawn a map of sorts showing the different stages that led up to 'The Coming'. "By my calculations this is approximately the stage we are at." He pointed at the map. "I've written a list of ingredients need for the final ritual."

Max looked at the list. "I take it that substitutions can be used without ruining the end effect."

Sandeman nodded. "Since the pulse some of these things are difficult to get hold of."

"What's on the list? An eighteen year old virgin?" Alec quipped, which resulted in him getting a smack around the head from Jace who was sitting next to him.

Max handed Jondy the list. "What do you think?" She noticed that Jondy was sitting quietly absorbing everything that was being said.

Jondy glanced over the list. "At least a quarter of this can be replaced with dried herbs. We can't exactly guard every grocery store. I'd recommend we get hold of the High Priestess, but I'm guessing that she can be easily replaced."

Sandeman nodded. "There are numerous understudy's. You take out one, another will take her place. Jondy is correct about the herbs also."

"So how the hell do we stop it?" Zane grew exasperated. "You've told us what we can't do. What is that we can do?"

"We can find out where 'The Coming' is to be held." Logan spoke up. "What happens when the planets align."

"I'm not sure." Sandeman shrugged his shoulders. "Somehow it signals where 'The Coming' is to take place."

Tinga chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "You know Case has taken an interest in astronomy. It's a long shot but what if when the planets align, combined with the placement of the stars it creates a map."

Rein could almost hear his sibling's minds ticking over. "What about if we approach it this way? We each take a different task. Tinga's probably got the inside edge on the astronomy angle. Jondy's got the medical knowledge to be able to spike whatever those ingredients make up. Logan, you have a contact inside the police department. Can you get one of us in there to question White."

"I'll see what I can do." Logan dialed Matt's number on his cell phone. It felt good to be able to finally take even a small step towards stopping 'The Coming'.

"I'll take the police station." Zane offered. "Maybe I can play Jondy's death to my advantage."

"I figure the conclave are probably expecting Sandeman to show up at the last minute to stop 'The Coming'." Jace spoke up. "They'll have people watching the check points."

"Then so shall we." Zack felt as though he should be issuing the orders, but his siblings as far as he could remember had changed. They wouldn't take orders from him now. "How many people are we looking at for the final ritual?"

"About twenty to take part." Sandeman considered the question carefully. "Of course there will be numerous spectators."

"So we could be looking for a clearing." Krit offered. "I can look at it from the air and see if I can find anything suitable."

Syl frowned slightly. "They could use the roof of a building for that. I know some antique dealers that may know where I can find the type weapons on that list Jondy has."

Alec cleared his throat. "So Rein, Zack, Jace and I will patrol the four main checkpoints." He looked over at Max. "I guess we need to keep you out of sight."

Max ignored Alec's comment. "I gather this ritual will require some form of formal dress." She tossed Sandeman a pencil. "I want you to list every last detail. We wouldn't want to be inappropriately dressed for the end of the world."

Sandeman was about to comment, but caught sight of Jondy removing her jacket. The pale redhead was wearing the usual black jeans and stiletto boots. Under the jacket she was wearing a chocolate colored singlet top and showed her scared skin. The scar became more apparent when she pulled her long hair back off of her face into a ponytail.

"I could have a look at that." Sandeman offered. "Perhaps I can find a reason for it not healing completely."

"I think not." Jondy reached out and laid her hand on Zane's shoulder. Her brother looked ready to attack Sandeman. "I think I'll stick with the scar. It's sort of character building."

Logan hung up his phone. "Zane. Matt's expecting you." He could see his brother in law was reluctant to leave Jondy in Sandeman's presence. "I'll stay with Jondy."

Zane nodded in agreement. "Fine. I'll call you if I find out anything, but I don't think it's going to be easy getting information out of White." He kissed the top of Jondy's head. "Stay out of trouble."

Jondy mumbled something, but stayed focused on the pad of paper she was already scribbling notes on.

Max was relieved that Logan had volunteered to watch over Jondy. It meant he had something to focus on and would have less time to worry. "Ok. Let's move out."

They split up and approached their various tasks with the finesse of a well oiled machine. Logan set up a lap top computer for Tinga so that she had access to the sites he had previously sourced his information from. He had also set a standard computer up for Jondy. While he looked up the various ingredients on the list and broke down their properties for Jondy, she came up with an alternative that could be used.

In the end Logan had Alec go to his apartment and bring back the white board and marker he had stored in the spare bedroom. Logan stared at all of the information written up on the whiteboard. "Does any of this make any sense to you? Cause it's just a load of words to me."

Jondy stretched her arms above her head and rotated her neck to relieve the cramps in her muscles. She never had liked to sit still for too long. "It makes sense. What we need to do is find a counteragent for it."

Logan smirked. "You make it sound so easy."

Jondy sat back down beside Logan. "It probably is. I just have to wait for that piece of the puzzle to click into place inside my head."

Logan decided to ask Jondy the question that had been lurking in the back of his mind. "J, is there a possibility that the conclave would try and use you as the alternative to Max?"

"No." Jondy shook her head. "We don't have the same DNA. I suspect some of the alterations Sandeman made to Max's DNA were made after Max and I were born. I'm sorry, I wish I could take Max's place in this."

"That's not why I was asking." Logan ran his hand over his face. "I didn't want to put you in the same danger as Max."

Jondy squeezed his hand. "Thanks, but at the moment I'm presumed dead. I'm a lot safer than Max."

Logan felt the strength in the petite hand that held his. "I was wondering, did you turn Sandeman's offer to help you with your scar because of his involvement in 'The Coming'?"

Jondy shook her head. "I turned him down because I don't want to be in his company any longer than possible."

Max walked up to the table that Logan and Jondy were working at. "J, you are going to hate the outfits we are wearing for 'The Coming'. The make up sucks as well." She handed her sister a sketch pad.

Jondy screwed up her nose. "Ew. That so does not go with my hair. Do you think it's too late to ask the conclave to wear blue shapeless robes? Cause I can work with blue."

"Sorry Sis. I don't think blue is their signature color." Max sat down on Logan's lap. "So how are you guys doing?"

"Well every ingredient apart from you has an alternative." Logan wrapped his arms around Max. "So what is it about you that they need to complete 'The Coming'?"

Max frowned slightly. "I've been thinking about that. It obviously doesn't matter if I'm dead or alive considering the number of times that White tried to kill me. It could be that the conclave already have what they need from me."

"Like a blood sample." Jondy had also been thinking about Max's part in the conclave ritual. "They could have got their hands on that when you were in Harbour Lights Hospital. Of course since they only need a sample of your DNA, then they could have stolen the sheets from the bed you used. Dead skin cells, dried blood or even hair could be obtained from the sheets."

"So when I was worried about getting Max out of the hospital safely, I should have stripped the bed and trashed the lab as well." Logan hadn't even considered at the time to remove the sheets from Max's hospital bed. "Basically, our best chance is you finding some sort of neutralizer, J."

"I'm working on it." Jondy could see that Max and Logan needed a moment alone. "I'm going to check and see if Tinga has found the location the planets are meant to point out. It won't do us any good if we can't find out where the conclave are holding the party."

Max smiled as her sister crossed the mess hall to where Tinga was working. "What sort of chance do you think we have? There's only five and a half days left until 'The Coming'. That's not a lot of time."

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "We've got as good a chance as any. Jondy's pulled off more than her fair share of miracles since I've known her and there's no telling what a group of X5s can pull off when they band together."

Max giggled. "So what you're really saying is the odds are stacked in our favor."

Logan grinned. "Pretty much."

Zane walked up to the bars of the cell White was locked in. The man who sat muttering to himself behind the bars was a shadow of the arrogant enemy he remembered. "Remember me Ames." Zane snarled. He couldn't help it. "Thought you'd be dancing around your cell with 'The Coming' approaching. Not that your friends can complete your voodoo ritual without Max."

Ames looked up at the tall man glaring at him. "We already have what we need from your freak of a sister. She would be worthless to us now even if she were alive."

Zane sat against the wall away from the bars. "Still, Max wasn't the sister you were interested in anyway. Jondy would have sooner killed herself than allow you to lay even a finger on her." He noticed that the mention of Jondy's name seemed to have grabbed White's attention. "You represent everything she despised. Not that it matters now that she's gone."

White threw himself against the bars. "I would have protected her if she had only seen sense."

Zane stood up. "Seen sense. She hated you. You wanted to destroy everyone she loved starting with her twin sister. What made you so sure that you were even worthy of her. Especially after you shot Devon."

"I loved her." White's words echoed of the walls.

"You don't know the meaning of love." Zane stormed away. He waited until he was outside of the building before he phoned Logan's cell. "Hey Logan. White let it slip that the conclave have what they need from Max already. I'm heading back now." Zane said goodbye and switched off his phone. If he had his way, White would never find out that Jondy was still alive.

Rein shifted uncomfortably on his perch out of sight of the Sector Police. All of this time he had spent distanced from his Manticore siblings, never realizing that one of his sisters was also in Seattle. He didn't want one of their rare family reunions to end with them losing a member of their unique group.

He figured members of the conclave would be traveling in groups. They would be over confident in thinking that nobody would try to stop them. With the transgenics, as far as they were concerned, able to be detected, it allowed them to travel undetected among the humans.

Rein dialed Jace's cell phone. "Hey Sis. You seen any snake dancers yet?"

Jace giggled at Rein's description of the conclave members. "No. Do you think they'll leave it till the last minute to gather together? I mean, they must be expecting Sandeman to try and stop 'The Coming'. Leaving things till the last possible minute limits the opportunity of any sort of interruption."

Rein couldn't agree more. "But on the off chance they want to get a good seat for more snake dancing."

"Don't forget the funky robes." Jace joked. "Heaven forbid they miss out on one of those. Better get off the phone just in case one of the others find something."

Rein grunted. "Guess so. Watch your back Sis."

"I always do big brother." Jace switched off the phone and continued her surveillance. 

Syl sat on the hood of Logan's car which she had borrowed, waiting for Krit to leave the plane he had just landed. "Hey babe. Did you find any sites for an end of the world party."

Krit kissed Syl as he sat beside her. "There are a few rooftops that may fit the profile. If I were throwing a party like that, I'd head for the high place."

Syl nodded in agreement. "A crowd would be able to sit on surrounding rooftops to watch the festivities."

"We could keep someone posted on the space needle and the buildings that I thought would be suitable. You can see most of them from one position." Krit went through all of the possibilities in his head.

"It might pay if you go up in the plane each day until 'The Coming'. You'd be able to spot any activity in the area. My contact for the weapons seems to have left town, so that's a dead end." Syl slid off the car. "Better head back to Terminal City. Maybe one of the others have found something."

Zack sat wondering if he could actually be of some use in Seattle. His brother and sister didn't trust him to stay alone in a room with Logan. He couldn't blame them. It wasn't really that long ago that he had tried to kill Logan.

"See anything yet?" Alec sat down beside Zack.

"Why aren't you at your post." Zack couldn't get used to seeing the face that he remembered being Ben's with a different personality.

"Zane relieved me." Alec shrugged and handed Zack a cell phone. "He asked me to give you this. It's on loan from Jondy. If you need to get hold of one of the others, all the numbers are programmed in. If you want to speak to Jondy, dial Logan's cell."

Zack shoved the phone in his jacket pocket. "So, have any of the others found out anything?"

Alec nodded. "Zane found out from White that the conclave already have what they need from Max. Krit saw a few places that would be suitable for the conclave rave, but we won't know for sure until they start gathering. Combined, we have a lot of ideas but nothing concrete."

Zack looked Alec up and down. "So what was it about Jondy that made you decide she wasn't the one? Was it the scar? Do you find it a turn off?"

Alec shook his head. He guessed Zack had got his information from Zane on their trip to Max and Logan's apartment. "Actually I find any marks on Jondy's body sexy cause she used to let me kiss them all better. The reason your sister dumped me is because I couldn't let go of the memory of a dead girlfriend. Jondy wasn't never meant to live in anyone's shadow and she wasn't going to make an exception for me. Nor should she."

Zack gave a short sharp laugh. "I remember Jondy being this sweet, shy little girl with huge blue eyes. On my trip to Florida I discovered she grew into this beautiful evil tempered woman. So I'm wondering why you are still alive."

"Unlike you, I have great timing." Alec quipped. "Jondy would never do anything to ruin Max's wedding day. I'd better get back to my post. Zane gets antsy about leaving Jondy near anyone he considers dangerous." He disappeared as fast as he had arrived.

Tinga tapped another couple of keys on the keyboard. "Hey Logan. Any idea if 'The Coming' has been here before?"

Logan left Max and Jondy staring at the whiteboard to stand beside Tinga. "No idea. Have you tried doing a search on the computer?"

Tinga nodded. "If it happened prior to any form of written record being kept, there's no way we'd find information on it. I'd suggest we ask Sandeman, but that information would be before he was born. I don't think any member of the conclave lives forever."

"I think you're right." Logan hadn't slept for thirty six hours and he was really starting to feel it. He wasn't willing to risk leave his wife and her sisters alone though. He would wait for Zane to return. "Why don't you see if you can find another time the planets have aligned."

"I'll give it a go but there's no guarantee it's going to map out an invitation to 'The Coming' party." Tinga started tapping away on the keyboard again.

"Logan looks exhausted." Jondy rubbed her scared neck absentmindedly. "You two made the most of every second last night, didn't you?"

Max smiled at her sister. "You know, there are times I really hate your twin's insight." She looked over her shoulder at her husband. "He promised Zane he'd look out for you, so he won't rest until Zane gets back."

Jondy reached into her bag and pulled out a large tube of green gel and started smoothing the gel on her scar. "I don't think Zane has anything to worry about. Joshua is keeping Sandeman at a distance."

"So I've noticed." Max stared at the tube in Jondy's hand. "What is that?"

"Aloe Vera gel." Jondy handed Max the tube. "It has healing properties in it. Also it stops the damn itching."

Max handed back the tube. "At least it's a pretty color." She saw her sister look at the tube, then at the whiteboard and then back at the tube. "What?"

"I'm such an idiot." Jondy shook her head in disbelief. "Sage is a natural antibiotic and Aloe Vera is a natural healing lotion. Neither are in the conclave recipe. At the very least they would cut down on the damage the conclave would do."

"How much of this stuff will we need to ruin the conclave part." Max felt as though they were starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

"If we want to do some serious damage we're going to have to split up and go to different stores. We won't want to tip the conclave off, so we'll have to go shopping over the next few days." Jondy couldn't believe she hadn't seen the answer before now.

Logan had noticed the change in expression on the two women's faces. "What's the matter?"

"Know anywhere we can get a lot of Aloe Vera and sage that won't draw attention." Max grinned up at Logan. "We just might have a way to neutralize the conclave recipe for disaster." She hugged her sister. "You did it again."

Jondy wasn't as convinced. "Don't get your hopes up just yet. We still have to get close enough to dump Sage and Aloe Vera in their fry pan."

Logan knew Jondy was right, but he had more hope than he had, had a few minutes ago. "This is a start."

"What's a start?" Zane walked in and immediately noticed that Jondy had been rubbing her neck. Taking the tube of gel off his sister, he carefully pushed her ponytail aside and proceeded to apply the gel to her neck where she had missed her scar.

"Jondy found a way to at the very least tone down the effects of the conclave recipe." Logan realized that he hadn't given any thought to how his sister in law would feel about the possibility of facing White again. His only thought had been for Max. "I'm sorry Jondy. I never thought your scar would still be giving you problems. I figured with White behind bars, being in Seattle wouldn't be such a big problem."

"I know. You were only thinking about Max." Jondy smiled. "And that's fine. None of us expected you to take responsibility for the whole X5 clan when you married Max."

Max rolled her eyes. "You're wasting your breath J. Logan lives to take responsibility for the world. It's one of his most endearing qualities and also one of his most annoying."

Logan kissed the top of Max's head. "Thank you Honey. Now tell us what you really think."

"I think you need to get some sleep." Max stood and took hold of Logan's hand. "It's safe to leave now that Zane is here. The womenfolk will be looked after and Joshua is watching over Sandeman and CJ." She shot him a sexy smile. "I'll make it worth your while."

Logan answered without a moments hesitation. "See you in the morning." He was out of the door taking Max with him before any of the X5s could respond.

"Why can't I have that?" Jondy muttered to herself.

"You mean have a guy that worships the ground you walk on." Zane massaged his sister's shoulders. "Somebody who would face the end of the world by your side, just because it meant he would get to spend more time with you."

"Yeah." Jondy shook her head, clearing the self pitying thoughts.

"One day Prince Charming will come along." Zane sat beside his sister. "First though we have to get Max her fairytale ending."

Krit spread a map out in front of his brother and sister. "Once upon a time the planets aligned and a bunch of crazy's held an end of the world party on the Space Needle."

"I think I've heard this story." Zane looked at the map in front of him.

Syl laughed. "Yeah, it's the one that ends with the good guys kicking ass."

Tinga placed the sheets of printouts from the computer on the table. "We're taking for granted that the party is on the Space Needle." She pointed to the first sheet. "The last time the planets aligned, none of the buildings that are there now were around."

"We considered that." Sandeman stood in the doorway. Joshua was blocking the way, stopping him from going any further. "The conclave will have people in place to be able to seize the rights to any building."

"They either have the Mayor in their back pocket or he's one of them." Joshua supplied. "That's why White got away with so much."

"Have you got anything helpful to tell us?" Zane glared at Sandeman.

"Your best bet is to get someone who can replace the High Priestess." Sandeman ventured. "It would have to be done at the last minute when she is in costume with her make up on, otherwise the conclave will just bring one of the understudy's in. Whoever stands in for her will have to be able to recite the accompanying chant. In French."

"We have to find them first." Syl pointed out.

At that moment Zane's cell phone rang. "Yeah." He groaned when he heard the news that his caller told him. "When." He talked for a moment longer before hanging up the phone. "That was Logan. Matt Sung just called him. White's escaped."

Jondy held her hand out for Zane's phone. "We have four people watching the Sector check points. We'll get them to keep an eye out for them." She quickly dialed Rein's cell.

Logan managed to get enough sleep so that he could think a bit more clearer in the morning. As he dressed he heard Max groan in the bathroom. "What's wrong?"

"The damn runes are back." Max walked out of the bathroom. She had the strange black markings across her chest. "I don't know about you, but I'm fed up with Sandeman only telling us bits and pieces."

"Let's get dressed and see if we can get the whole story out of him." Logan was fed up of only getting the highlights as well.

Max was worried. They only had five days left and they still weren't sure where 'The Coming' was taking place. "I hope the others have good news for us."

"We have a way to neutralize the witch's potion. One of the others will be able to locate White. We'll just follow him to 'The Coming' and gate crash." Logan had to look on the bright side otherwise there was no hope.

"I wish I had your faith." Max smiled lovingly at Logan. "I trust my family, I just don't trust anyone connected with the conclave."

Logan pulled Max into his arms. "I know. I think that we have the better team though. We have to win Max, cause I'm not losing you again."

Zack opened his eyes when Max and Logan walked into the mess hall. He was using Jondy's lap as a pillow. "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing them together."

Jondy looked over at Max and Logan. "Nobody's asking you to Zack. I know that Max is happy with Logan and that's more than some of us have. I don't know about you, but I'm going to make sure the conclave doesn't ruin that for her."

Zack patted his sister's knee and closed his eyes. "Count me in." He drifted off to sleep.

Rein poured himself another cup of coffee. "Morning Max, Logan. We may have some good news for you."

Max poured herself and Logan a cup of coffee. "Good, I need some good news. Where's Sandeman by the way? I have something I want to get off of my chest."

"Still asleep I think." Rein nodded towards Jondy. "Joshua won't let him near Jondy. Zane, Tinga, Krit and Syl swapped with us to watch the check points so we could get some sleep."

"So what's the good news?" Logan cast a glance over to where Zack was asleep with his head on Jondy's lap. "It's hard to believe he's the same person that tried to kill me last year."

Alec joined the group and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Jondy can have a calming influence on people. Usually right before she kicks their ass."

Rein chuckled at Alec's description of his sister. "Ok, so the good news is that Tinga tracked back to the last time the planets aligned and compared it with the sites that Krit felt would be suitable for a conclave party. It looks as though the Space Needle is party central."

"It gets better." Jace sat down beside Max. "Sandeman reckons that we'll have to nab the High Priestess while she's in costume and make up. Then whoever replaces the High Priestess has to make some chant in French. That will be the perfect opportunity to spike the punch."

"God no." Max put her head in her hands.

Logan looked at his wife. "What am I missing?"

"Jondy's the X5 that was trained in French. The rest of us only know bits and pieces, not enough to be able to fake it." Alec answered. He had been just as shocked when the others had filled him in on the latest developments. "She's going to be right in the middle of 'The Coming'. She won't be able to use coms cause the conclave will be able to hear us contacting her."

"How are we going to get hold of the High Priestess?" Max asked.

Logan guessed the answer. "We're going to let White lead us to her."

Joshua led Sandeman into the mess hall. "Little fella. Father says that you have the speech hidden in your DNA."

"The runes on my chest." Max practically spat the words out. "Tell me Sandeman, do you have any more surprises for us?"

Sandeman shook his head. "No. That's the lot. No more surprises." He didn't see the look that passed between Max and Jondy.

"Good. Because we have just short of five days for you to teach Jondy the chant that is written on my chest." Max nodded towards Joshua. "You will be supervised by Joshua 24/7, understood."

Sandeman nodded. "Understood."

The next three days were spent hastily preparing for 'The Coming'. The X5s alternated shifts of watching the sector checkpoints and the Space Needle. Everyone was tired and on edge, but also focused on their mission. On the morning of 'The Coming' Logan walked around the gardens that he had planted in Terminal City.

When this had all started, Logan's only concern was that he had to get Max through 'The Coming' safely. Now Jondy would be smack in the middle of the ceremony and Zack's behavior was still unpredictable, which meant Zane's attention would be split between the two of them.

"Penny for your thoughts." Jondy sat down on one of the park benches.

Logan smiled bitterly. "Save your money. You don't need the added concern."

Jondy stared at Logan's face for a moment, before speaking. "We're all going to get through this just fine Logan. Zane's got my back, Rein's watching Zack and you've got Max's safety covered."

Logan sat down beside Jondy. "I know, but we still have to get hold of the High Priestess and I don't like not knowing where White is."

"That's one of the reasons I came out here to find you." Jondy grinned. "Rein and Zack have located White and are following him as we speak."

"Looks like the action is about to begin." Logan took in the woman before him. "Are you sure you want to do this? Nobody will think less of you if you don't want to."

Jondy took a deep breath before she answered. "I figure with my feline DNA, I have nine lives. Over the years I got real picky about who I was giving my spare lives up for. Trust me when I say I couldn't find a better choice than my family. Let me do this."

Logan nodded. "You know, I think of all of you as family, even Zack. You're like the sister I always wanted." He chuckled to himself. "Of course the picture I painted in my head didn't come with the over protective brothers and you weren't mean to be so pretty."

Jondy's face lit up as she laughed. "Well judging from what I'm looking at, no sister of yours could be anything but gorgeous."

Zane walked up behind Max who was watching her husband and sister. "We're not going to have a repeat of Thanksgiving are we?"

Max shook her head. "No. I'm not jealous. I'm in awe of our sister. She out of all of us, is going to be in the most danger tonight with White being there. Yet, there she is making sure my husband has less things to worry about."

Zane put his arm around his sister's shoulders. "We're all going to get through this tonight Max. By the end of next week, Jondy will be back in Florida with her kids and you and Logan will be living happily ever after."

Rein and Zack stood in the shadows watching the happenings at the Space Needle. Zack looked from one robbed person to the next. "Any idea which one of these freaks is the High Priestess?"

"Not a clue." Rein scratched his head. "Our idea of letting White lead us to her was blown when he put on one of those robes. Maybe I'm wrong, but didn't Sandeman say that they had to wait for the planets to align to know where 'The Coming' was to be held."

Zack nodded. "Yeah, so what's your point?"

Rein pointed to the crowd. "My point is, how did that lot know 'The Coming' was going to be here."

"They're early." Zack used Jondy's cell phone and dialed Logan's number. "It's Zack. The freaks are jumping the gun. We need Sandeman down here right now to identify the High Priestess. All of these freaks look alike to me. We have to do the switch right away."

Logan looked over his shoulder as a costumed and made up Jondy walked into the room. "We're on our way Zack." He hung up his cell phone. "It's show time."

Jondy twirled around. "How do I look?" Her voice and sky blue eyes were the only clues to who was behind all of the make up.

Logan grinned. "Like a freak."

Jondy grinned back. "Good. That's just the look I'm aiming for. Let's go."

"Max!" Logan called out to his wife. "It's time to go. Krit and Syl are already in the air with Tinga and Jace. Bring Sandeman with you."

Alec and Zane joined Rein and Zack outside the Space Needle. Alec cast a glance over the robed members of the conclave. "Who do we have to kill to get one of those robes each?"

Zane pointed to the rear four members. "How about those guys? I'm thinking the High Priestess is probably in the middle of the group that just entered the Space Needle."

"Why would they be so sure that the High Priestess would need protecting?" Zack was ready to charge ahead and take out the first conclave member he came in contact with. Only Rein's hand on his arm stopped him from doing so.

"Jondy and I ran into the last High Priestess." Alec shrugged his shoulders. "She didn't live through the encounter. Maybe we can take pot shots at the rear four. Are you guys packing?" His three brothers flashed the guns they were carrying under their jackets. "Anyone got a silencer on their weapon?" The three men shook their heads. "Well, that's that idea out. We'll tip the others off if we start firing our weapons."

All of a sudden the last four conclave members fell to the ground. Max appeared in front of her four brothers a second later. "Suit up boys. We need to get Jondy to the front of the line before they get to the top of the Space Needle."

Zane saw Logan standing with a tranquilizer gun in his hand keeping Jondy hidden from sight. "Your husband's not a bad shot Maxie."

Max grinned. "I know. Come on, Jondy says that damn robe is itchy."

The four men pulled the conclave members out of sight tying them up securely and changed into their robes. Checking the coast was clear, they signaled Logan, Jondy, Max and Sandeman over.

"You got anymore darts for that thing?" Zack raised an eyebrow. He wouldn't admit that he was impressed by Logan's actions so far.

"Enough to get us a few more robes." Logan reloaded the gun. "I just hope we can get one in my size."

"Yeah, cause they just don't make these things in extra long." Jondy joked. "Can we hurry this along guys. My make up is starting to melt."

"They won't start the ceremony until it gets dark." Sandeman tried to reassure them.

"Just like they wouldn't know where the ceremony was going to be held until the planets aligned tonight." Alec pointed out. "Tell me, is any of your information going to be correct."

"Things change over time." Sandeman offered. "Last time 'The Coming' happened there weren't computers. It wasn't as though we could surf the net back then."

"You've not exactly been forth coming in giving us all the information we need." Rein pointed out. "You've held stuff back from the start. So you'd better tell us right now and don't even think about lying to us, can you identify the High Priestess?"

Sandeman nodded. "Yes. We have to get Jondy in her place soon though. The conclave don't have to wait for the planets to align. All the High Priestess has to do is start the chant. It can only be done once."

"Anything else?" Max stood with her hands on her hips. "Cause I'm sensing there's more."

Sandeman looked her straight in the eye. "You have to be the one to stop 'The Coming'. Jondy can be substituted for the High Priestess, but you have to be the one to end it."

Max handed Jondy twenty dollars. "You know, this wasn't a bet I minded losing."

"Love you too Sis." Jondy stuffed the money down the top she was wearing underneath the robe.

"Mind filling us in?" Logan handed Max and Sandeman a robe each. "I don't know about anyone else but I feel as though I missed something."

Max tugged on a robe. "Jondy hasn't slept since she got to Seattle. I lent her that book you translated the original set of runes with. Had a feeling we couldn't rely on Sandeman, so Jondy translated the runes so that we knew exactly what we're up against. I have to be the one to neutralize the potion because my DNA starts 'The Coming' and my DNA and a couple of other ingredients will stop it."

Logan ran his hand over his face. "And the ritual complete with Max's DNA was started all those months ago with the snake dance that CJ saw."

"Which means just stopping today's show wouldn't do any good unless Max is the one who stops it." Zack filled in the rest of the blanks. "So we all have to be in the inner circle, but the focus will be on Jondy while she does the chant."

Zane pulled Jondy aside. "Sandeman's been playing us from day one hasn't he?"

Jondy nodded. "He may have wanted to stop 'The Coming' to begin with, but somewhere along the line he decided he wanted to join the game again. Do me a favor, keep an eye on him. Once he figures out that Max and I know exactly what we have to do, he may try and stop us."

Zane nodded. "I've got your back."' He led her back to the group.

Surrounding Jondy, the group made their way past the conclave members undetected. Sandeman pointed out the High Priestess and each of the X5s took their position behind a conclave member. After a minor struggle the X5s replaced the conclave members including the High Priestess, while Logan kept an eye on Sandeman.

By the time everyone had taken their places it was getting late in the day and the sun had started to set. Sandeman signaled Jondy to start reciting the chant. Max had positioned herself directly on Jondy's left. Jondy recited the first three lines of the chant without anyone showing any signs of knowing their cult had been intruded upon.

As Jondy began the forth line, a helicopter flew over the top of the Space Needle and Jace, Tinga and Syl descended on lines and landed in the center of the conclave's inner circle, disconnecting their lines from the helicopter once they were on the surface. Jondy continued the chant as Tinga tossed a bag containing the neutralizing mixture to Max, who had ripped off the robe. Grabbing a knife off of Jace, Max ran the blade along the palm of her hand and held it over the pot that was sitting in the center of the circle. With her free hand she tossed the mixture into the pot.

As several of the conclave members raced forward to stop Max, Logan whipped off his robe and started firing his handgun which had been tucked into the back of his jeans. The other disguised X5s tore their robes off and started to fight. Their only objective was to keep the conclave clear of Max and Jondy for a few more minutes.

As Jondy finished reciting the chant, Zack signaled Krit in the helicopter. "Time to get Maxie out of here J." Even though it had begun to get dark Zack could still see the line being lowered for Max.

Jondy yanked her robe off and pulled the straps of her back pack down her arms. She pulled two harness' out of her bag and handed one to Max. "This party sucks. Let's get out of here."

"I heard that." Max reached out for the line, but in the next instance found herself falling. Just as she toppled over the edge she felt someone grab her wrist and stop her. Looking up she saw a jaggard scar on the arm holding onto her. Following the arm up to the rest of the body of the person holding her, she saw that Jondy had grabbed the line with her other hand when she had leapt after her. "If you wanted to hang out, all you had to do was say so."

"I'd tell you to go jump but you already did." Jondy winced as the line bit into her hand. "Can you hook onto the line with your free hand?"

"No, I can't get to the line." Max could see members of the conclave coming after them. "Logan!"

Logan heard his wife's cry and saw what was happening. He had lost track of Sandeman once the chant had begun. "Zack! The girls are hanging off of the edge of the Space Needle." He started firing at the persistent conclave members.

Zack ran to his side. "Damn it."' He pulled a radio out of his pocket. "Krit, bring them up slowly." With his free hand he joined Logan in picking off the enemy."

Jondy cried out as she felt the line wrapped around her hand being pulled up. "Hang on Max we're on the move."

It was as if the heavens had suddenly opened up as the rain poured down. The heavy rain washed the freakish make up off of Jondy's face revealing her identity.

White stopped fighting Tinga, absolutely stunned at what he was seeing. It was as though he was looking at a stunning ghost. Pushing Tinga aside he started charging for Jondy.

Zack quickly hooked Max's harness onto the line as soon as the two women got near. Logan held onto Jondy while Zack untangled her hand and then hooked her harness onto the line. "Ok Krit take them home."

Hearing the sound of running footsteps behind them, the foursome spun around to see White charging towards them. The sound of a gunshot rang out as White jumped at Jondy, who swung herself and Max out of the way. White went straight over the edge with no one to stop him from falling.

As the two women floated up into the air, Zane joined Zack and Logan. "We'd better make sure that bastard's dead this time." He peered over the edge.

"Did either of you see how Max and Jondy ended up hanging off the edge of the Space Needle?" Logan noticed that most of the conclave, realizing 'The Coming' had been ruined, had headed for the hills.

"Yeah. Max was pushed and Jondy went after her." Zane turned around looking for the person who had pushed Max.

"Who by?" Zack had thought they had managed to keep all of the conclave away from Max and Jondy.

"Him." Zane raised his gun and shot Sandeman straight between the eyes. "He's been holding back all along. He never considered that Jondy would translate the runes herself. All he needed us for was to get him back into the conclave fold." The man fell to the ground dead.

Logan glared at the body for a moment. "Who wants to tell CJ his father and brother were killed in battle."

Alec walked up to them. "I'll do it. I know how to seem sincere when I'm lying through my teeth."

Tinga pointed to the pot still sitting on the Space Needle. "What should we do with that?"

"Better bury it." Jace screwed up her nose at the smell coming from it. "Really deep."

Rein pulled his car keys out of his pocket. "Who's up for a road trip?"

"I'll go with you." Syl offered. "Krit will have to take the helicopter back after he's dropped Max and Jondy off, so he won't be back for a while."

"I'll call Matt Sung and let him know that White committed suicide." Logan started dialing the number when Zack took the phone out of his hand.

"Go home and look after your wife." Zack switched off the phone and handed it back to Logan. "We'll call Sung as soon as we've cleaned up a bit."

"Thanks." Logan was more than a little surprised, but he wasn't about to argue. "See ya there."

Alec slapped Zack on the back after Logan had left. "That must have been tough for you."

"More than you'll ever know." Zack glanced around him. "I'd suggest we make this look like a mass suicide if there weren't so many bullets. Guess we'll have to settle for freaky cult ritual. Sometimes the truth works in our favor."

Logan burst through the door to his and Max's apartment. He was completely drenched, but his only concern was that his wife and sister in law were alright. He found them in the bathroom, both wearing bathrobes and their hair wrapped in a towel each. Jondy was dressing Max's hand. "You two alright."

"Nothing some bandages and disinfectant won't cure." Max glanced at her husband. "Honey, as sexy as you look in those wet clothes, I think you ought to change before you catch a cold."

Reassured that both women were alright, Logan went to change. Jondy waited until she heard the bedroom door close before she spoke. "So you've been feeling queasy in the morning and you've been sleeping a lot more than usual. Anything else?"

Max didn't have time to answer as in the next second she was bending over the toilet bowl being sick. Jondy dampened a face cloth and handed it to Max. Max took it gratefully. "Does that answer your question?"

Logan chose that moment to walk back into the bathroom. "Sweetheart, are you sure you're alright?"

Jondy chuckled as she pulled something in a brown paper bag out of her bag and handed it to Max. "I'm pretty sure I know what's wrong. Why don't you follow the instructions on the box while Logan and I go in the living room and he dresses my hand."

Max peered into the bag. "Why do you have one of these in your bag with bandages and disinfectant?"

Jondy smiled mysteriously. "I had a feeling this morning that you might need them. I never got a chance to speak to you before we had to save the world." She picked up her bag and gently shoved Logan out of the bathroom.

After Logan dressed Jondy's hand, he started to pace while waiting for Max to come out of the bathroom. "What was in that bag Jondy?"

"A pregnancy test." Jondy pulled some spare clothes out of her bag as the ones that she had been wearing were still wet. She looked up to find a stunned Logan staring at her. "Surely you noticed that Max was sleeping more than usual. The only times I've slept more than a couple of hours a week were when I was ill or pregnant."

Max walked out of the bathroom with a small white stick in her hand. "Wow." She was so shaken by what she was looking at, that it was all she could say.

Jondy stood holding onto her dry clothes and took a look at the stick herself. "Congratulations Logan. You're going to be a Daddy."

Logan grabbed his stunned wife and kissed her passionately. This was more than either of them could have hoped for. Jondy discreetly made her way to the guest room, mumbling something about not wishing to watch them celebrate the news. When Jondy left the guestroom ten minutes later, Max and Logan were celebrating in the privacy of their own bedroom.

Jondy smiled to herself as she headed for the door to tell the others know what was going on, so that they didn't disturb Max and Logan. She would also have to get Mole and Tek to let Lydecker and his men loose. She paused in the doorway. "And they lived happily ever after." She murmured as she quietly closed the door behind her.

_The End_


	43. Not all it's Cracked up to be

**"Not all it's Cracked up to be"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:** Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Tek, Rebecka, Devon and Rein however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.  
**Summary:** Max's pregnancy is getting off to a rocky start and with the threat of Lydecker constantly lurking around the corner, not everything is smooth sailing.  
**Timeframe:** Follow up story to The Coming.  
**Rating:** G  
**Category:** Drama, Romance  


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Logan stood beside Rebecka outside the closed and locked bathroom door. Max had been in there for quite a while and he was beginning to get worried. It wasn't as though Max had, had any seizures since Jondy had removed the implant, but he preferred her to leave the door unlocked just in case.

"Shouldn't we call someone?" Rebecka was concerned that Max was in her third month of pregnancy and didn't appear to be able to keep any food down. "Perhaps we could call Beverly or a locksmith."

Logan shook his head. "No need." He looked over his shoulder and saw his redheaded sister in law. "Thanks for coming."

Jondy had been splitting her time between Florida during the week and alternate weekends in Seattle, sometimes bringing her children with her. "No problem." She crouched down in front of the bathroom door and picked the lock. Picking up her Doctor's bag she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Rebecka was surprised that Logan hadn't charged into the bathroom as soon as Jondy got the door open. "How did you know Jondy was here? I never even heard her come in through the front door."

"I've had a couple of transgenic blood transfusions." Logan calmly explained. "Plus Jondy used to stay at the penthouse a lot when I first met her. I guess I just got used to the way she works."

Inside the bathroom, Jondy sat down on the tiled floor beside her sister. "It's not all it's cracked up to be, being pregnant is it."

"Not at the moment it's not." Max leaned back against the wall beside the toilet where she had just thrown up. "That trick with the crackers works for a little while until I try and actually eat a proper meal."

"Well, let's get some more crackers inside you and then we'll figure out what's going on." Jondy gently wiped her sister face with a damp washcloth before she went and opened the bathroom door. "Logan, why don't you put your wife to bed while I go and get her some milk and crackers."

Logan did as he was told, noting as he picked his tiny wife up that she seem to have lost weight. He found some relief when she lay her head on his shoulder as he carried her into the bedroom.

"You're mad at me for locking the door, aren't you?" Max felt so exhausted she was glad that she hadn't had to walk back to their bedroom on her own legs.

"I'm not mad." Logan gently reassured her as he tucked her into their bed. "It just scares me when you lock the door. If you have a seizure I can't get to you with the door locked or even get your medicine to you."

Max gently stocked Logan's cheek. "I haven't had any seizures since Jondy removed the implant. I don't think you have to worry about the seizures anymore."

"You telling me that I worry too much?" Logan smiled down at his pale wife. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when Jondy walked in with a box of crackers and a glass of milk.

Jondy chuckled. "Of course she isn't, but I will." She sat on the bed beside Max opposite Logan. "Did I ever tell you that in my first tri-mester I couldn't stand the smell of garlic or keep any food with garlic in it down?"

Max frowned at her sister as she sipped the milk Jondy handed her. "You think that's what's wrong?" She hoped it was that simple.

"It would explain why you can keep the crackers down, but not one of Logan's culinary miracles." Jondy grinned. "I know how much you two like some chicken with your garlic."

Logan realized that it was always lunch and dinner that Max ended up throwing up. "So why don't we try something simple like scrambled eggs on toast?"

"Maybe later." All Max wanted to do at the moment was sleep. "I'm sort of tired. Anyone mind if I get some sleep?"

"Of course not." Logan kissed Max on the forehead before taking the now empty plate and glass to the kitchen.

As Jondy went to follow him, Max grabbed her hand. "Am I going to lose my baby?" She didn't think she could go through that again. She was sure Logan couldn't either.

Jondy squeezed her hand. "Not if I can help it." She sat back down on the bed beside her sister. "Why don't you focus on getting some rest while I look through those tests Beverly did the other day." She had picked Max's file up on the way to the apartment. "We'll probably be laughing in a couple of hours because the problem was something stupid like you not liking sugar while you're pregnant."

Max managed a weak smile. "I guess you're right." She felt her eyelids getting heavier. "Try and calm Logan down for me, will you. He's going to give himself a heart attack if he doesn't stop worrying."

Jondy waited until Max had fallen asleep before leaving her to go into the living room, where Logan and Rebecka were waiting anxiously. "First of all the both of you have to calm down. Max can see you're both worried and it's stressing her out. Logan, you look as though you haven't slept for a week. Go and cuddle up to your wife and get some sleep."

Logan knew that Jondy barely tolerated her mother, so he didn't really want to leave the two women alone. "Actually. I have a lot of work to do. Besides I don't want to disturb Max."

Rebecka saw that Jondy had already sat on the floor in front of the coffee table and had spread a file out in front of her. "Logan go and get some sleep. We'll be fine. Jondy needs to focus on whatever's in that file anyway."

Logan realized that Jondy had shut out the outside world and was focused on the pieces of paper in front of her. "She won't register you're here until she's found the answer she's looking for." Logan had seen Jondy in shut down mode while she was looking for a cure to the love bug virus. "Just make sure you put a cup of tea on the table for her every half an hour. She takes it white with no sugar." He kissed the top of his sister in laws head. "Don't work too hard."

The mumbled reply he got, told him that he had been heard. Wearily he made his way to the bedroom and cuddled up beside his wife. Were things ever going to be easy for them, he wondered as he drifted off to sleep.

Rebecka did as Logan had told her and made a cup of tea for Jondy every half an hour. The rest of the time she watched her daughter work. After a couple of hours Logan staggered back out of the bedroom looking slightly better than he had when he had gone in.

"She's barely moved since you went to get some sleep." Rebecka felt the need to speak after sitting in a room with Jondy in complete silence. "How's Max doing?"

Logan sat on the sofa behind Jondy, who was still sitting on the floor. "She's still sleeping, but she seems to have a bit more color in her face than before." He watched Jondy for a moment. "Jondy will get up and move about soon. She doesn't like staying still or being cooped up. Maybe we'll get some answers then." He stood up and went to make himself some coffee.

Rebecka marveled at how well Logan knew her redheaded daughter. Sure enough Jondy got up and stretched her tired limbs. She paused for a moment as though she had heard something and then walked into Max and Logan's bedroom. "Has she always been like this?" Rebecka asked Logan as he came back in the room with a cup of coffee and sat down.

Logan nodded. "As long as I've known her." He glanced at the papers strewn across the table. "I've never known a woman that could jam so much into her bag and still make it look as light as a feather though."

Jondy returned to the room with Max, who was leaning against her sister. Sitting her sister down beside Logan, who automatically put his arm around his wife, Jondy explained Max's condition. "Ok, now I'm pretty sure everything will fix itself if we can just find food that Max can keep down. You drastically need to put some weight on Max and you can't do that on crackers and milk."

"So what do you suggest?" Logan didn't think it was a good idea to keep trying different meals until Max stopped throwing up. That could take too long.

"For the moment, try sticking to the five basic food groups." Jondy remembered how hard the first few months of her pregnancy were. "Don't make any of your fancy dishes until Max puts on some more weight."

"That scrambled eggs on toast that you suggested before sounds good." Max was starting to feel hungry now that her stomach seemed to have settled down.

"Coming right up." Logan kissed her forehead and moved into the kitchen to cook his wife breakfast.

"That all sounds so simple. Why do I get the feeling it's not?" Rebecka sensed there was more to Max's illness than just getting her to put some weight on.

Jondy shot her sister a sympathic look. "You're going to have to stay in bed and take it easy until you've put on weight. I'll give Original Cindy a call and get her to drag Logan out of the apartment every couple of days."

The idea of being confined to bed didn't appeal to Max. At least her sister was organizing someone to force Logan to take a break. "Thanks. There's no sense in Logan making himself ill fussing over me."

"I could stay and help." Rebecka offered. She didn't want to miss out on being part of what would be an important part of her daughter's life, the way she had with Jondy.

"Thanks, but that's not necessary." Max figured that she would probably be sleeping most of the time if today was anything to go by. "Logan will be watching me like a hawk. On the rare occasions that Original Cindy manages to get him out of the apartment, I'll be sleeping."

Logan placed a tray on Max's lap that had a plate of scrambled eggs on toast, a glass of milk and a bowl of fresh fruit salad. "Eat what you can sweetheart."

"When did you last eat Logan?" Jondy had caught the concerned look on Max's face when Logan had brought the tray in.

"I'll get something later." Logan hoped that Jondy would let him get away with that answer. A couple of seconds later he was being not too gently shoved back towards the kitchen by the redhead.

"Logan still seems worried." Rebecka murmured. "I thought he trusted your sister."

Max swallowed the mouthful of food she was munching on. "He does. I think it's just that after losing the last baby and then thinking that we couldn't have children naturally, he's scared that this baby might be a dream that won't come true as well."

"You don't think the same as Logan?" Rebecka could understand where Logan was coming from now.

Max shook her head, relieved that her breakfast seemed to be staying down. "No. Jondy would never get our hopes up if she thought that there was a possibility I couldn't carry this baby to term."

Jondy returned with Logan and some more food. "So I take it you spent most of the night talking over the porcelain telephone Max." She had headed straight to Seattle as soon as her shift at Florida Medical had finished.

Max nodded. "Yeah, we had dinner and five minutes later I was bringing it back up." She looked down at her plate surprised that she had eaten everything on the tray.

Jondy gave Max half the slice of toast that she was eating. "Well, I suggest you start the day the way we have today. A few dry crackers and a glass of milk to line your stomach. Then scrambled eggs on toast and some fruit. Stay away from anything with caffeine in and any spicy foods. Your meals will be a bit boring for a while, but once you've put some weight on you may find that you can stomach some of the spicier foods you're used to."

Max patted her stomach. "It'll be worth it when this little one finally joins us." She felt a lot better now that she had eaten and the food was staying down.

Logan listened intently to Jondy's instructions, committing them to memory. "Did you go through all of this when you were pregnant, J?" He had taken for granted that his sister in law's pregnancy had been smooth sailing. Every time he had seen her, she seemed to have this healthy glow about her.

"Some of it." Jondy admitted. "But you have to remember, I didn't have a culinary genius at my fingertips like Max has. The meals we have in my home are catered more for children, so they're simpler."

Max giggled. "I never heard anyone say Logan's cooking was bad for them before."

Logan grinned, relieved that his wife seemed a lot brighter. "Nobody's saying my cooking's bad for them. It's just the baby's not ready to appreciate my cooking just yet."

Jondy reached into her bag and pulled out a book. "I thought you two could use this." She handed Max a book of names and their meanings.

Max gave her sister a sheepish smile. "I haven't wanted to pick a name yet until I was sure that I wasn't going to lose the baby."

"That's understandable." Rebecka spoke. She was starting to feel a bit invisible.

"Now you have something to aim for." Jondy knew what her sister meant. "I'm going to go and see Original Cindy. Why don't you go and get some rest."

"Sounds good to me." Max couldn't remember when she last felt this tired for so long. "Say hi to O.C for me."

Jondy nodded as she walked out the door. She would stop in at Terminal City after she had seen Original Cindy. She knew better than anyone, the importance of keeping Max's pregnancy off of Lydecker's radar. Jondy could almost picture Lydecker's face if he thought he could get his hands on a pregnant X5.

Original Cindy hugged her best friend's sister as soon as she saw who was knocking on her door. "When did you get into town?"

"Early this morning." Jondy shrugged her jacket off. "Had to help Logan and Rebecka break into the bathroom. Max didn't want Logan to see her being sick, so of course Logan panicked."

Original Cindy chuckled. "Some things never change. Do you think Logan will ever stop being over protective towards Max? I mean, after all, the girl is a genetically engineered killing machine."

Jondy understood what Cindy meant but her friend's description made her wince. She and her siblings had been running from what they were created to be, all of their lives. "That's not what Logan sees when he looks at Max. He sees his wife who he loves more than life itself and who is expecting his child."

Realizing that she had hit a nerve, Original Cindy quickly worked out where she had gone wrong. "I know, but Max can take care of herself." Then she remembered how often Jondy had visited Seattle lately. "Is Max alright?"

Jondy ran her hand over her face. She was exhausted from being a mother to fourteen children, being a Doctor, and being there for her twin sister. "Max needs to gain some weight which hasn't been possible because she's been throwing up just about everything she eats. I think I've found out what the problem is, but Max is going to have to stay in bed. Also, I need you to drag Logan out of the apartment every couple of days, so that he gets a break. Max is never going to put on any weight if she's worrying about Logan worrying about her."

"Damn." Original Cindy hadn't even begun to think there might be a problem with Max's pregnancy. "I thought Max was just having normal morning sickness. You know I'll help anyway I can."

"Thanks." Jondy knew she could count on Original Cindy. "I'm going to head off to Terminal City. I figure Lydecker's probably watching the place for any sign of Max."

"How badly would Lydecker want a X5 baby?" Just the thought of what Lydecker had done so far just to get his hands on Jondy made Original Cindy shudder.

Jondy shrugged. "I'm not sure. He'd prefer a pure breed child with both parents being X5s. It would serve his purpose better. I'll be damned if I'm going to let that monster experiment on any of our kids."

By all accounts, it sounded to Original Cindy as though Logan was being relatively calm about everything. "So Logan's dealing pretty well really."

"I think he's focusing more on getting both Max and the baby through this pregnancy at the moment." Jondy hadn't wanted to voice her concerns knowing how Logan would respond. "I don't think it's hit him just yet that the worst is yet to come."

Logan had finally been able to get Rebecka to go home. There was no point in her staying there when all Max was doing was sleeping. He had managed to get some work done in between watching Max sleep. Thinking back, he had been so overjoyed when he found out that Max was pregnant. Now he just wanted Max to make it through the pregnancy alive.

"Stop worrying.' Max had been watching Logan from the doorway. She knew how helpless he was feeling, but getting stressed out wasn't going to help her or the baby. "I've been thinking about baby names." She walked over to Logan and sat down on his lap. "What was your mother's name?"

"Sara. Why?" Logan wrapped his arms around his tiny wife.

"Well, I was thinking if we have a daughter then we could name her Sara Eva Cale." Max suggested. "Any idea what Sara means? Or shall I look it up in the book Jondy gave us?"

Logan was touched that Max wanted to name their daughter after his mother. "It means Princess. So have you worked out what we will name the baby if it's a boy?"

Max shrugged her shoulders. "I don't mind as long as it's not Logan Cale the third. Not that I don't like your name or anything. It's just I'd like our son to have his own identity."

Logan rested his chin on Max's shoulder. "I know what you mean. I always felt as though I had to live up to an impossible standard because of what my father had accomplished in his life. It wasn't until he died that I realized I didn't want to be like my father."

"Well, are there any boys names that you like." Max had wanted to name their son after Ben, but Jondy had already named her son Ben.

"What about Keegan? It means fiery one. It's sort of unusual. I guess that's why I like it." Logan felt it would be perfect considering their son had an unusual but perfect mother.

"Keegan Benjamin Cale." Max felt the name had a certain ring to it. "I like that. Well, we've picked names for our child. That's one job out of the way."

"Do you have any ideas what you want the nursery to look like?" They hadn't even begun to decorate the nursery Logan realized. It was just another job they hadn't wanted to start with Max being ill.

Max shook her head. "Not really. I don't want it pink or blue. Which reminds me, do you want to know if we're going to have a boy or a girl?"

This wasn't something Logan had thought about until now. "No. I think it would be great to have a surprise. Besides, I just want us to have a healthy baby. I don't mind if we have a boy or a girl. What about you?"

"I think the same." Max thought about what she'd like to see when she put their baby in the crib to sleep. Then she realized that this was their first real conversation about the upcoming addition to their family. They had both been so scared that they would lose the baby that they had avoided any discussions, so that it wouldn't hurt so much if that happened. "Damn Jondy."

Logan chuckled. "You have to admit she's good. She made us face up to reality without us knowing it." He still had a little trouble believing they were going to be a family.

Max giggled. "She's always seemed to know what I needed before I did. She even knew that we needed the tiniest shove in the right direction."

"Well, it's about time." Jondy stood leaning against the doorway. "How big a hint do I have to give you guys to get the point straight away." She joked, happy to see her sister was obviously feeling much better and Logan was a lot calmer.

"Hey. Where have you been all this time?" Logan glanced at a nearby clock realizing Jondy had been gone for four hours.

"Giving you two some space." Jondy walked into the room and sat on the edge of Logan's computer desk and held out a carton. "Joshua and the children at Terminal City made these for the two of you."

Max peered into the box. "Wow. These look awesome." She stood and walked into the living room with the carton. Pulling the carton's contents out one by one, Max's face lit up at each new item. "I can't wait to put these up in the nursery."

"You're going to have to wait." Logan could see his tone annoyed Max, but he didn't want her climbing on chairs trying to hang things up. "Or you could supervise while I hang everything up." That seemed to appeal to Max.

Jondy rolled her eyes. She could understand how Alec would find Max and Logan so amusing. "Well, how about we have lunch first? It'll give you a bit of time to come up with ideas for the nursery.'

Max nodded her consent. Besides, she was starting to get hungry again. "You know, I liked what you did with the twins room. It didn't lean towards either sex and was eye catching as well."

Remembering their visits to San Francisco, Logan recalled the bright colors and Disney cartoons that had covered the walls. He wondered if Jondy had recreated the room when she had moved her family to Florida. "Maybe we could get Joshua to paint a Disney mural on the walls."

"I'm sure he'd love to do that." Max was touched that Logan was including Joshua. "We'd have to sneak him in at night though."

Logan headed for the kitchen to make his family lunch while the two women ooed and ahhed at the gifts that had been sent from Terminal City. "So what inspired the children to make gifts for the baby?" Logan knew he didn't have to speak up for the two women to hear him.

"Joshua is teaching an arts and crafts class at Terminal City. He thought this would be a good project for the children." Jondy held up a mobile with ABC's on it. Hanging off each letter of the alphabet was a figure that corresponded with it's letter. 

"They've put a lot of thought into this." Max was delighted with the gift. "Everything's not only colorful but it's a teaching tool as well. I'll have to go and thank them."

"You'll have to take it easy." Jondy warned. "I know you don't want to be copped up in the apartment, but with any luck it won't be for too long. Besides, you need to keep off of Lydecker's radar. Tek and Mole spotted him hanging around outside Terminal City."

Max hadn't considered the danger Lydecker represented to her unborn child until that moment. "Logan's never gonna let me out of the apartment ever again if he knows Lydecker's still on the prowl. You'd think he would have learnt after being caged up while we stopped 'The Coming'."

"That man's too focused on playing God." Jondy kept her voice low so as to not upset Logan. "I'm guessing by now he's found out that Sandeman's dead. He's probably not 100% convinced that I'm dead, but until he actually sees me that's just going to be a doubt in his warped mind."

"Which means he'll be looking for another way to restart Manticore." Max had managed to avoid Lydecker before. She had to believe she would still be able to do it with a child. Her baby's life depended on it. "You've got a plan though, right?" Max knew her sister had been gone too long not to be up to something.

"I spoke to the guys in the Terminal City command center." Jondy began. "It's not just to protect my future niece or nephew. Lydecker could try to nab one of the babies from Terminal City given half a chance."

"A full breed transgenic would be exactly what he needs to answer all his unanswered questions." Max agreed. "He'd be well on his way to a new Manticore."

Jondy giggled. "Well, it appears that Tek tagged Lydecker and his merry men when they had them caged up during 'The Coming'. They have no idea their every movement is being tracked."

Logan carried a tray with some sandwiches, a couple of glasses of milk and a cup of coffee for himself on. He had caught the tail end of the conversation. "Well, I know I feel better knowing somebody's keeping tabs on Lydecker. How do you think he took the news that he missed 'The Coming'."

Max munched happily away on her sandwich. "He didn't miss much. We were there remember." She grinned at her sister. "Thanks for catching me by the way. Hanging off of the Space Needle was far beyond the call of sisterly duty."

"Hey, I love hanging out with you." Jondy joked. Her hand still had a faint red mark where the line had cut into her hand, when she had leapt after Max. "Having said that, I'll stay until lunchtime tomorrow to make sure we have solved the mystery of what's making you ill."

"You don't have to rush off." Max didn't want her sister to feel as though she was in the way. Now she thought about it, she had barely seen Jondy.

"You're staying here tonight, right?" Logan had barely had any time alone with Max since they had found out she was pregnant. They practically had to kicked Rebecka out at night. Somehow with Jondy it was different. She knew when to give them time alone and when to stay close by, but not in the way. "I'll make the guest room up after lunch."

"Thanks." Jondy had been wondering where she was going to stay. Original Cindy had told her that she had a date tonight, so staying there had been out. "I just need to call the children and Julia. They all wanted to come with me, but I didn't think you'd be up to that many visitors."

"I wasn't, but maybe they could have kept Rebecka busy." Max felt awful saying the words, but Rebecka constantly hanging over her while she was trying to be sick was one of the reasons she had locked the bathroom door.

"I think she's just trying to make up for lost time." Logan tired to be understanding, but neither he nor Max were used to having a third party constantly in their lives. When' Max's siblings visited, they always made sure that they gave the couple some space. "Did Julia stalk your every move when you were pregnant J?"

"No, but it's different with Julia." Jondy could see the confusion on Max and Logan's faces. "With Julia, she'd been Devon's mother since he was born and mine for quite a bit of my life. She knew me well enough to know when to keep her distance and when to help. Rebecka only got to be a mother to us when we were grown up and she hasn't got a clue what to do. When she tries to be caring and supportive, it comes over as suffocating and annoying.'

"I don't want to shut Rebecka out, but I would like some time with my wife where I'm not tripping over my mother-in-law every five minutes." He didn't want to be cruel, but it had almost been a relief when Jondy had turned up. It meant that Logan could get Rebecka to focus on Jondy while he and Max got some sleep.

Max knew what they had to do. "We're going to have to limit Rebecka's time here. We'll organise a couple of days when she can come around. I don't want to cut her off completely, but that's what I'll end up doing if I can't get some breathing space from her."

Logan nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea. I think Rebecka needs a life of her own, instead of one that revolves around us." He grinned at his sister-in-law. "How'd you get to be such a good mother?"

"I had Julia as a role model." Jondy admitted. "It helps that all of my children came to me as babies or young kids. You make mistakes and you learn from them. The best thing you can do is remember that your every action is for them and not what it's going to get you."

That night Max and Logan lay cuddled up in their bed thinking about what Jondy had said. They had put the decorations from Terminal City up in the room which was going to be the nursery. Max had managed to keep everything that she had eaten today down. Things were looking up.

"Do you mind that we're having a baby so early in our marriage?" Max had been so surprised that she was pregnant that it was only now that she had considered how short a time they had been married.

"Of course I don't mind." Logan kissed his wife's forehead. "I just wish this pregnancy had been easier on you." He wasn't used to seeing his wife ill and it had scared the hell out of him.

"I have a feeling things are going to get better." Max felt as though she was a different person from the one she had been this morning. That's what being able to keep your meals down did for you. "Rein called Jondy earlier. He's going to sneak Joshua over here so that they can paint that mural on the nursery wall for us."

"Wow. Everything's coming together so fast." Logan gently pulled his wife closer. "In six months time I'm going to have to share my wife with another little person."

"You'd better make the most of your time with me alone." Max heard the apartment door close. "That and the fact that my sister has just gone out."

Jondy sat on top of the Space Needle. Seeing Max and Logan together eagerly anticipating the birth of their child, made her miss Devon. He hadn't been able to share the joys and burdens of her pregnancy. "Some things just weren't meant to be." She whispered into the darkness. Still she managed to be happy that Max was living the life she always wanted with a loving husband and a child on the way.

_The End_


	44. A week in the life of a pregnant X5

**"A week in the life of a pregnant X5"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:** Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Tek, Rebecka, Jondy's children and Rein however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.  
**Summary:** Just when Max thought her life couldn't get anymore complicated, it does.  
**Timeframe:** Freak Nation. Follow up story to Not all it's cracked up to be.  
**Rating:** PG  
**Category:** Drama, Action  


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Winter was closing in on Seattle and for once, Max was glad to be carrying some extra weight since it was keeping her warm. In her fifth month of pregnancy, she had put on sufficient enough weight to keep her sister happy. Jondy felt that Max was coping well enough for her to only have to visit once a month.

Although grateful for all of Jondy's help with what had started as a difficult pregnancy, Max was pleased that she was getting more time alone with Logan and their unborn child. She occasionally helped out fixing motorcycles at the job she had, had before she got pregnant, but otherwise she just let Logan fuss over her.

Her expanding figure had left Max wondering how Jondy had managed to still look graceful and elegant when pregnant with her twins. Max just felt huge and awkward. Logan, of course told her she looked beautiful and looked at her as though she were the sexiest thing he had ever seen. All the same, Max was not looking forward to putting more weight on.

She felt selfish not wishing to put more weight on as there had been a time that she and Logan had thought they wouldn't be able to have children naturally. It was just that she was used to being a lot more active.

Rolling over onto her side, she saw that Logan had already gotten out of bed. Realizing that her husband was probably cooking breakfast, Max reached for her robe and climbed out of bed. It suddenly occurred to her that no delicious aromas were coming from the kitchen and it was still dark outside. Checking a nearby clock she saw that it was only three o'clock in the morning.

Considering Logan was not a morning person, Max was beginning to get a bit concerned. Hearing some movement in the bathroom, Max went to see if Logan was alright. The bathroom door was wide open and Logan was sitting on the floor beside the toilet. "You're not having sympathy morning sickness are you?"

Logan managed a weak smile. "I don't think so, considering you stopped getting morning sickness about a month ago. It's probably just a stomach bug. Sorry if I woke you."

Max shrugged her shoulders. "You didn't really." She put her hand on Logan's forehead. "You're running a pretty high fever for just a stomach bug. Why don't you go back to bed. I'll get you a bucket in case you feel like being sick again."

Logan reluctantly went back to bed. His head ached. His stomach felt as though it had a vendetta against him and despite the fact he was sweating like a pig, he was freezing. "You need the rest more than I do." He managed to mumble as he tumbled back onto the bed.

"Yeah, well I'm not ill. I'm pregnant." Max reminded him. She was about to phone Beverly when she remembered the doctor was spending the week with Zane in LA. Instinctively Max phoned her sister's cell phone. For a moment she thought she could hear her sister's phone ringing from the floor below.

"What's the matter?" Jondy was already on her way up to Max and Logan's apartment. Her medical bag in her hand. She knew that Max was alright so guessed something must be wrong with Logan.

"Logan's got a pretty high temperature and he's been throwing up." Max noticed Logan had gone a deathly shade of white. "He doesn't look too good J." Max remembered the last time Logan had become really ill, they had, had to put him in an ice bath to get his temperature down.

Jondy switched off her phone as she walked into Max and Logan's bedroom. "Has Logan had any flu symptoms lately?" She quickly checked Logan over.

Max nodded. "He had a bit of a cough and a runny nose the other day, but he said he was taking something for it." Realizing she had heard her sister's phone ringing from the floor below for real, she began to wonder why Jondy would be staying with Alec. "You and Alec getting back together?"

"God no." Jondy started rummaging through her bag. "The girls and I got into town a few hours ago. We couldn't stay at Terminal City as there's not enough room. Original Cindy's got a new girlfriend so we didn't want to intrude on her. Since we figured that you and Logan probably wanted some time alone, that left Alec's place."

Max raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you didn't catch him with someone." Max had noticed that there had been a steady stream of female visitors going to Alec's apartment just lately.

"We did." Jondy pulled a bottle of rubbing alcohol out of her bag. "The girls ran into his room screaming 'Daddy, we're home.' I've never seen someone who wasn't part of the x series move so fast."

Max chuckled. "I see your girls have inherited your sense of humor. I don't expect Alec was very happy though."

Jondy smirked. "No, but the girls didn't really give him a chance to complain." Converting back to doctor mode she added. "Logan has a bad dose of the flu. Make sure he gets plenty of fluids, keep him warm and see if you can get a couple of these antibiotics into him every four hours." She handed Max a small bottle of tablets as well as the rubbing alcohol. "You know the deal with the rubbing alcohol. Do you need some help?"

"No, I'll give you a yell if I have any trouble." Max preferred to look after her husband herself. She couldn't always rely on Jondy. After all, her sister had her own family to look after. "Thanks for being here J."

Jondy hugged her sister. "Anytime. I'll call by later. Try and get some rest. Logan will be fine." She left the apartment as quickly and silently as she had arrived.

"I'm fine. Really." Logan mumbled as he awkwardly sat up to take the tablets Max was holding out for him.

"No you're not." Max held a glass of water to Logan's lips to help him wash down the tablets. "Don't even try to argue with me or I'll get Jondy back up here."

Logan scowled at his wife. "Fine. I know better than to take on two X5 women." He didn't have to like it though. He was supposed to be looking after Max not the other way around.

Max smiled at her sulking husband. "You know, if you're good and get some sleep and finish this glass of water, I may be persuaded to give you a sponge bath."

Even in his weakened state, Logan knew a good offer when he heard one. Taking the glass of water off of Max, he slowly drank the contents before easing back under the blankets and falling asleep.

Down in the apartment below, Jondy let herself back into Alec's apartment. Creeping quietly over her sleeping bag encased children, she made her way to the kitchen. As she put the kettle on she noticed a half asleep Alec balancing her son Ben on his hip. "How long has Ben been awake?"

"A couple of minutes." Alec held out a plastic cup to the toddler in his arms. "Everything alright upstairs?" He had heard Jondy leave the apartment and guessed where she was going.

Jondy nodded, making herself a cup of tea. "Logan's got a bad dose of the flu. He should be fine in a few days."

Alec chuckled. "I'd love to be a fly on the wall in that apartment. Logan will be denying he's sick because he won't want Max burdened with looking after him with her being pregnant. Max will be arguing about Logan trying to wrap her in cotton wool and will try to do more than she should in her current condition."

"I don't think they'll be arguing much." Jondy grinned. "I left a bottle of rubbing alcohol with Max."

Alec was impressed. "In that case sick or not Logan and Max aren't leaving their apartment while there's any contents left in the bottle." He shot Jondy a mischievous grin. "Got another bottle?"

Jondy shot Alec an icy glare. "I think not." Taking her son off of Alec, she turned and left the kitchen.

Alec was still staring at the space Jondy had been standing in five minutes later. He could have kicked himself for messing things up with Jondy. She would never trust him with her heart ever again.

Logan woke up late the next morning to find Max gone and Jondy sitting in a chair next to the bed. "Have you been left to baby sit me?" He noticed that Jondy was looking a little more pale than usual.

"I prefer to think of it as making a house call." Jondy winced slightly as she moved to take Logan's temperature. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Better. Still have a sore throat and my head feels like someone's pounding on it, but at least I don't feel like throwing up." He focused on his sister in law. "Are you alright?"

Jondy managed a weak smile. "I still get migraines from time to time, despite having my eyesight back. I sent the children to spend the day with Rebecka so I could get some peace and quiet."

"Where's Max?" Logan was pretty sure his wife wasn't in the apartment.

"She went grocery shopping." She saw the concern in Logan's bloodshot eyes. "Don't worry. I sent Alec to watch her back and Rein to make sure Alec watches her back."

"You think I'm worrying about Max for nothing." He saw Jondy was trying not to laugh at him. "Part of me knows that you're right. Still, after the trouble she had in the first three months of her pregnancy, I can't help but worry."

"I understand that, but you're not going to help Max any if you neglect to take care of yourself." Jondy calmly explained. "Now, why don't you take your tablets and try and drink as much water as possible while I get you something to eat." She stood slowly, trying not to aggravate her migraine.

Logan's concern for his pregnant wife subsided slightly. With Jondy keeping him company in the apartment, he would know the second anything went wrong with Max. The twin sister's practically physic ability meant he could almost keep track of Max without crowding her.

Alec looked back over his shoulder. "The coast is clear. Maybe Lydecker's on his tea break." He proceeded Max and Rein into Terminal City.

"I doubt it." Rein mumbled. "Lydecker's never been that predictable." He glanced around him to double check their safety. "So, is J alright? She looked pale even for her."

Max pulled her jacket around her tighter. "She never really fully recovered from when she lost her eyesight. I mean, sure she can see now but she still gets the migraines."

"So that's why she offered to play nursemaid." Alec had wondered if the redhead was actually trying to avoid him.

Max shot Alec a dirty look. "She's not playing nursemaid. Jondy knows that Logan won't worry about me so much if she's there. Plus she needed some peace and quiet which she wouldn't get hanging around with you." She could see her words had hit their intended mark by the expression on Alec's face.

Rein chuckled. "So Logan figures with Jondy close by, if he needs to know you're alright he can just get J to call you on her twin radar?"

Max grinned at her green eyed brother. "Something like that. Logan and Jondy have always had a brotherly/sisterly understanding of each other."

"Jondy has a calming influence on some people." Alec corrected.

"Pity her calming influence doesn't work on you." Max knew that her sister usually had one of two effects on people. Either she heated them up so much that they wouldn't or couldn't leave her alone. Or she somehow found a way to show people the way to their inner peace.

The threesome walked through Terminal City in silence. It appeared that any transgenic that wanted their freedom or something close to it had settled in Terminal City. There had been no new arrivals in the past week and anyone that could pass for human lived in one of the apartment buildings that Max and Logan owned.

When they reached the command center, Joshua walked up and gently hugged Max. "Hey Little Fella. You give Logan the slip?" Just lately he hadn't seen Max without Logan right beside her.

Max giggled. "No. Logan's not well, so I left Jondy looking after him." She felt the baby kick. "Ow. This kid's determined to be a football player."

Joshua wanted to feel the baby kick the way he had when Jondy was pregnant. Unfortunately, Max had voiced rather loudly that she wished people would stop touching her stomach. Obviously, Max wasn't keen on being as sharing as Jondy had been. "Do you think it's going to be a boy or a girl?"

Max looked up at her friend. "I'm not sure. I don't really mind just as long as it's healthy. I'm a bit worried that it might be twins, seeing as sometimes one baby hides behind the other."

"Is that what happened with Jondy?" Rein hadn't been in contact with his sisters when Jondy had been pregnant.

Max nodded. "Yeah. Logan and I were worried enough about helping Jondy deliver one baby. It was a hell of a shock for all three of us when the second baby showed up."

"Things will be different for you." Joshua told Max confidently. "You have Logan to help you get through the delivery."

Max was struck by how lucky she was. She had a loving husband who was bending over backwards to try and make her pregnancy go as easily as possible. Jondy hadn't had that luxury. "Right now, all I want is my husband to get well so that he can do all the worrying about the possibility of me having twins."

Mole gruffly interrupted the conversation. "Lydecker's obviously realized that posting an army of men outside of Terminal City is too obvious. We still noticed a small team watching the compound from stratigatically placed vantage points. He doesn't know Red is actually alive does he?"

Max shook her head. "No, but he probably suspects that there's a possibility of her being alive. Which is why Jondy's being so cautious about being seen in Seattle."

Tek had been watching the monitors while the conversation carried on behind him. "Well, whether he knows Jondy's alive or not, he's not giving up." He pointed to some activity in front of Terminal City. "Maybe it's not Jondy he wants anymore."

"You think he wants Max because her DNA is special?" Joshua put his arm around Max's shoulders.

"Or he's somehow found out Max is pregnant." Mole added.

Rein took a closer look at the monitors. "Either way Lydecker's got us surrounded. We're going to have to make a hole to get out."

Alec moved closer. "What about the sewer system?"

Tek pointed to another monitor. "He's got that covered too." He turned to Max. "How many siblings have you got visiting this week?"

Max shook her head. "Only Jondy and she's not well enough to take on Lydecker and his men." Right on cue Max's cell phone rang. "Hey. Are you alright to stay watching Logan? I thought I might stay at Terminal City for the night."

Jondy had moved away from Logan so that he couldn't hear the phone call. "What's the problem?"

"Lydecker's got Terminal City surrounded." Max knew Jondy had already picked up that something was wrong. "I need you to make sure Logan doesn't do anything stupid like coming in after me."

Jondy walked over to the window so that she could see Terminal City. "He's left an opening on the North East side, so that's obviously a trap." She grinned to herself. "He's not expecting you to go up though."

Logan stumbled into he room. "Is that Max? Is she alright?"

Jondy smiled. "Max is fine. She's just wondering what you feel like eating for dinner."

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not really that hungry. Why don't we stick with soup and toast for tonight." Reassured that Max was safe, Logan went back to bed.

Max couldn't help but giggle at her sister's cover up. "I guess I'd better pick up some soup on the way home. See ya soon Sis." She switched off her phone. "Got any tear gas around here?"

Mole nodded. "What's the plan?"

Max grinned. "We're flying out of here."

Donald Lydecker paced impatiently by his vehicle. There was only one way Max could get out of Terminal City. Even with Sandeman dead and the possibility of Jondy being dead as well, there was a good chance of working out the transgenic make up from Max's blood work.

The sound of the tear gas hitting the ground near them stopped Lydecker's pacing. "Put on your masks." He had anticipated his move. Watching the opening they had left, he became confused when no transgenics made an appearance. Looking around him, he searched for another exit Max may have taken. Frustrated he glared up at the sky in time to see Max, Alec and Rein jump down from the line they had used as a tightrope. "Damn it." He swore under his breath. She had found a loop hole again.

Max walked into the apartment feeling quite pleased with herself. She had gotten past Lydecker and Logan was none the wiser that she had, had any trouble.

"You took a long time for a trip to the grocery store." Logan was standing in the doorway of their bedroom. "Everything alright?"

"Everything's fine." Max smiled at her husband as Jondy appeared from the kitchen to take the bag of groceries off of her. "I stopped by Terminal City to say hi to Joshua." At least that was the truth. "The baby's kicking up a storm."

"That's a good sign even if it doesn't feel like it at the time." Jondy grinned at her sister. "I'll start dinner for you." She glanced over at Logan. "You get back into bed. I don't want to have to tell you again."

Logan mumbled something about bossy sisters, but did as he was told.

Max watched Logan go back to bed before following her sister into the kitchen. "He didn't give you too much trouble, did he? Logan hates being sick so he pretends he isn't."

Jondy poured the contents of a can into a saucepan and placed it on the stove. "Apart from one argument we had about him doing some 'Eyes Only' work, he wasn't too bad. I actually think he was cutting me some slack because he knows I have a migraine."

Max placed her hand over her belly where the baby was kicking again. "See, that works in your case. If I tried that he wouldn't let me leave the apartment for the rest of my pregnancy."

Jondy had been watching her sister out of the corner of her eye. "Has Logan felt the baby kick yet?"

Max screwed up her nose. "I really hate people touching my belly as though they've never seen someone pregnant before. It makes me feel like a freak." Still the thought of Logan touching her belly had a certain appeal to it. "I guess it's a part of the pregnancy Logan can share with me."

Jondy grinned. "Go play parents to be with your husband. I've got everything covered here. Alec will look after the kids when Rebecka drops them off."

Max didn't have to be told twice. She walked into their bedroom to find Logan feeling very sorry for himself. "You know your sister's a bully. She wouldn't even let me have my lap top in here."

"Well, you have to remember Jondy's not feeling too great herself." Max got onto her side of the bed and cuddled up to Logan. "With her sensitive hearing, she'd be able to hear every time you hit a key."

"Which, with a migraine would probably echo in her head and feel like someone was drumming on her brain." Logan hadn't considered it from that point of view.

Smiling, Max took hold of one of Logan's hands and placed it on her belly where their child was kicking. "Well our child seems to be as stubborn as his father. He or she has been kicking all day."

Logan smiled in awe. "Wow. It's incredible to think you and I made a little somebody together. I'm not the only stubborn one here. Our child could have picked up your stubborn genes."

"Children." Jondy walked in with a tray of food.

"What?" Max's jaw dropped.

"I can hear two heartbeats." Jondy explained. "Having lost my sight for that period of time sharpened my hearing. You're having twins."

"You just had to try and upstage your sister, didn't you?" Logan joked. Then he saw the alarmed look on Max's face. "Max, honey? What's wrong?"

"I was talking about this to the guys this morning. I was worried that I could be having twins and I wouldn't know until I delivered." It almost seemed to Max as though some higher power had heard her and was giving her a sign.

"Well, now you know and you can be better prepared for it than I was." Jondy wished someone had warned her when she had been pregnant. She grabbed her bag and waved good bye as she left the couple alone.

"Do you mind that I'm having twins." Max asked Logan who was grinning like a fool.

"Angel, I thought we were lucky to be having one child." Logan kissed his wife's forehead. "Now I jut think we're doubly blessed. The only down side I see is that it's going to be harder on you."

Max moved the tray that Jondy had left for them so that they could both eat off of it. "I'm gonna end up huge."

Logan glanced at his wife's body. "You do know how sexy you look to me right? If I wasn't trying to beat this stupid cold, you wouldn't be able to get me to keep my hands off of you. Or any other parts of my anatomy come to think of it."

"Eat your dinner." Max commanded as she blushed. "We'll see how you're feeling tomorrow. I may even use that bottle of rubbing alcohol Jondy left me on you."

The next morning Alec stumbled into his living room trying to avoid tripping over the children asleep on the floor. "How's your head this morning?" He mumbled as he walked past Jondy, who was staring out the window.

"The migraine's subsided to a dull ache." Jondy didn't turn away from the window.

There was a thumping noise coming from upstairs. 'I gather that's the reason you haven't completely gotten rid of your migraine. What the hell is going on up there?"

Jondy grinned to herself. "Well, Logan woke up this morning obviously feeling a lot better. The thumping started not long after that." She chuckled. "I think they're putting that rubbing alcohol to good use."

"This is one of those times I bet you wish you didn't have enhanced hearing." Alec could hear a considerable amount of passionate moans and groans. "I don't suppose there's any chance that he's just sweating out his fever."

Jondy turned towards him, eyebrow raised. "Not a chance. I heard Logan yell out something about the earth moving an hour ago."

"Is that good for the baby?" Alec glanced up as though he expected the ceiling to cave in.

"It's fine." Jondy turned back to the window. "With any luck, they'll be trying to cure each other all day. It looks as though Lydecker is trying some other way to catch Max."

Alec looked over her shoulder to the scene outside Terminal City. "I guess Lydecker doesn't realize that we're observing him trying to observe us. He hasn't figured out how close by we are."

"I'm hoping he hasn't figured out that I'm still alive." Jondy muttered. "With Lydecker, we need any sort of an advantage we can get."

"He doesn't give up easily, does he." Alec knew that stubborn look on Jondy's face well.

"Not where his kids are involved." Jondy sneered.

Max and Logan kept to themselves for the day. The following day Logan felt more like his old self and insisted on doing some 'Eyes Only' work. When Jondy turned up ten minutes later with the children, he was convinced that it was some sort of set up silently organized between Max and Jondy to stop him from working.

"Shouldn't this lot be in school?" He asked, frustrated with being unable to work for three days. Only one of those days had been the least bit enjoyable.

"It's school holidays." Jondy smiled innocently as she handed her daughter Tinga over to him.

"Again." Logan had never noticed how many holidays the schools had until Jondy had adopted the twelve girls.

"Welcome to my world." Jondy turned to stop her son from unplugging Logan's computer. "Wait till the twins are born. You'll be wondering what spare time ever was."

By the next morning, both Max and Logan were getting sick of the inside of their apartment. Pulling their coats on, they decided to go for a walk and get some fresh air. It was nice to be able to just walk down the street holding hands. Of course they stayed away from Terminal City. No sense in tempting fate. The last thing they needed was to tip Lydecker off to Max's pregnancy and where they lived.

Jondy watched the couple from Alec's apartment window. "You wish you had that, don't you." Alec voice startled her. "That 'I just enjoy being with you' sappiness. Where you're content just to walk down the street holding hands." He couldn't pinpoint what the expression was that was on Jondy's face.

"Sometimes." Jondy smiled sadly. "I was just thinking that Max is getting this pregnancy right. She's got the loving husband. She gets the walks while holding hands. Also, she knows how lucky she is."

It was then Alec knew what it was he saw on Jondy's face. It was unselfish pride in the way her sister's life had turned out. "I'm sorry I couldn't give you any of that."

"I know." Jondy walked away to see what her children were up to.

Logan managed to catch up on his 'Eyes Only' work while Max took a nap. Originally he had been concerned by Max sleeping so much when she never had before. When Jondy explained that carrying two babies around inside of her had left her exhausted, so it was only fair that the same be expected of Max, he had realized he was being overly concerned. Now he actually appreciated the time while Max was napping to work without making Max feel ignored.

Since she had become pregnant, it had been hard to judge Max's mood swings. Logan had quickly learnt that if he got too engrossed in his work, Max started to feel fat and unloved. The truth was, the sight of Max growing bigger due to their children growing inside her was a huge turn on. So much so that he couldn't work when Max was in the same room as him.

"Finally managed to make it to your computer." Jondy grinned at Logan from the doorway.

Logan grinned back. "Luckily it's been a slow news week. I've managed to catch up on everything that backed up because you and Max wouldn't let me work."

"In all fairness Logan, you wouldn't have been able to concentrate properly while you were ill." Jondy reasoned. "You don't think that either of us would take the chance that you could make a fatal mistake because you were too ill to be working."

"You're determined to make sure nothing ruins the birth of your nieces or nephews, aren't you." Logan felt honored that he was part of a family that cared so much.

Jondy smiled at her brother in law. "Let's just say I want my sister to have everything that I didn't. I'm not a woman that's used to being told I'm not going to get my own way."

"One look at that hair and your icy blue eyes and nobody would dare tell you no." Logan chuckled.

"Nobody can look as sweet or as dangerous at the same time like Jondy can." Max walked out of the bedroom. "What have you and the children been doing today."

"We found a park to go to and spent most of the morning there." Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "We visited the recreation center. My kids are very impressed. They can't stop talking about the great things Uncle Logan has done."

"I'm sorry Devon hasn't been around for them to hero worship." Max hugged her sister. "He saved your life a couple of times. I owe him big for that."

Jondy managed a weak smile. "My kids have big hearts. There's plenty of room for their Dad and all of their Uncles. I think Alec's a little upset that he's not their favorite though."

The following day, things seemed to have quitened down around Terminal City. Supplies needed to be delivered so a heavily guarded Max would be going in.

"I don't like this." Logan argued for the seventh time that morning. "Max, there's no need for you to go in there."

"I convinced them all to stay in Terminal City." Max was beginning to feel like a broken record. "I can't just sit on the sidelines and watch when it suits me."

Logan could see Jondy talking quietly to Alec and Rein out of the corner of his eye. "I guess that means Jondy's going in as well." From what he could see Rein and Alec weren't any happier about Jondy going along for the delivery than he was about Max going.

Max spun around to look at her sister. "You can't go in. Who's going to watch the children?"

"The children are with Rebecka." Jondy replied calmly. "Lydecker won't expect me to be there, so I have a better chance of getting in and out without being spotted."

"It's too dangerous." Max had watched her sister put her life on the line too many times for her family. She was not going to let her do it again.

"I'm not the one who's pregnant with twins." Jondy reminded her.

"There's no changing your minds once you two are set on something." Rein groaned. "I swear you two must have some goat in your DNA."

"Let's get this over and done with then." Alec had a bad feeling about this. "The vans are loaded and ready to go."

Now Logan was worried about the safety of his wife and his sister in law. This was not going to be a good day.

The actual delivery went fine. They all got into Terminal City and unloaded the vans with no problems.

"I don't mean to be pessimistic, but does anyone else think that went too easily?" Rein asked.

The helicopter that came to hover above Terminal City confirmed Rein's suspicions.

"Max!" Tek yelled down from the command center. "Lydecker's covered all of his bases this time."

Everybody raced up to the command center and stared at the monitors. "Sorry folks. Looks like you're here to stay." Mole grumbled.

"I doubt it." Alec shot back. "Lydecker isn't intending to trap us in here. He wants to make it impossible for Max not to turn herself over to him. He knows she'd do anything to ensure Logan's safety as well as the rest of us."

Logan dialed Matt Sung's direct line. "Hey Matt. We have a problem out at Terminal City. I'm pretty sure none of these armed lunatics are licensed to carry weapons. At least not in the USA. Also, there's a Colonial Lydecker who's abusing his former military advantage."

"Hang tight Logan." Matt was already reaching for his car keys. "I'm on my way with back up."

"Logan, you know Lydecker's not going to just hand over his gun and play nice." Max was running the possibilities for escape through her head. "Not even if a gun were pointed at his head."

"We've got one advantage over him that we didn't have over White." Jondy pointed out. "He's human. A bullet in the shoulder will slow him down."

"Well, we've got to be able to see him to make sure it's him we're shooting at." Joshua pointed at the monitor. "He's using our trick. Tear gas."

Sure enough Lydecker had his men shooting tear gas over the fence from all sides. They weren't trying to force the transgenics out. They were covering their forced entry.

Tek and Mole grabbed the chest full of gas masks and handed the masks out. "At this stage, all we have to do is flip the masks off of Lydecker's men." Tek pointed out. "With the cops on the way, we can just get them to back the paddy wagon up the fence and we'll just toss the intruders in the back."

"That's if the cops get here fast enough." Mole grumbled. "Everybody but the twins here packing?" Everyone nodded. "Let's go clean house then."

Most of Lydecker's men hadn't expected the occupants of Terminal City to do anything but try and leave. When their gas masks were ripped off and thrown over the fence, they realized that they had underestimated the transgenics again. The dream of a new, better Manticore was unrealistic.

Lydecker waited for the smoke to start to settle before he made his way into Terminal City. The sight of his men lying on the ground unconscious didn't entirely surprise him. That wasn't his concern. Getting hold of Max was.

His gun raised, Lydecker cautiously hunted out his prey. The smoke had cleared enough for the transgenics to remove their masks. Lydecker spotted Alec and Rein first. They were already congratulating each other on a job well done. Then he saw Max talking to someone behind a gas mask. He guessed it was Logan as he was holding Max's hand.

"You're slipping Max." Lydecker aimed at Logan knowing Max would never risk Logan being hurt. "It used to be harder to catch you off guard." He reached out and grabbed Max's arm pulling her over to him.

When Alec and Rein made a move towards him, Lydecker pulled Max in front of him. For the first time, he realized that Max was pregnant. "Well, I just got two for the price of one."

"Let her go Lydecker." Jondy walked into view. With her hair tied back, her scar practically glowed like a neon sign against her pale skin.

"I know you won't help recreate Manticore Jondy." Lydecker pointed the gun at Max's stomach. "If I let your sister go, I have no guarantee that you'll co-operate."

"J. My gun." Logan was standing slightly in front of Jondy. He knew that Lydecker wouldn't be able to hear him, but the transgenics could. "My gun's tucked in to my belt in the back."

Joshua, Mole and Tek were closing in behind Lydecker. They weren't willing to make a grab for Lydecker when he was pointing a gun at Max's unborn children. All they could do was wait for Jondy or Logan to make a move.

Jondy signaled to Alec and Rein behind Logan's back. They were faster, stronger and smarter than Lydecker. None of them were frightened children anymore.

In a blur of speed Rein grabbed Lydecker's gun, Alec moved forward beside Jondy and Jondy grabbed Logan's gun and aimed it up at Lydecker.

Lydecker smirked at Jondy and tightened his grip on Max. They had caught him by doing what they were trained to do. "You won't shoot me Jondy. You and Max are terrified of guns."

Jondy slowly smiled. The smile never reached her eyes which were icy. "For you, I'll make an exception." She fired the gun, the bullet hitting Lydecker straight between the eyes. "Good bye nightmare, hello life."

Joshua had pulled Max aside as soon as Jondy's finger had flexed on the trigger. Now he held his shaking friend in his arms. "It's over Little Fella. You're safe now."

Logan carefully removed the gun from Jondy's cold hand while keeping an eye on Max. The sound of police sirens in the distance made Logan realize they had to come up with a cover story quick. "Well, I saw Lydecker shoot himself after he had stolen my gun." He looked at the others. "What did you guys see."

Mole took the gun off of Logan and placed it in Lydecker's hand. "Looks like he killed himself to me. Always thought that guy was unstable."

Rein pulled Jondy into his arms. She felt like a block of ice. "I've got J, Logan. Go check on your wife." He knew how much Jondy hated guns, but there was no way any of them would have let Lydecker have Max or her children.

Tek and Alec went to help the cops collect the unconscious men. It was an hour later before Matt Sung made it over to the group to get a statement. After seeing the state Jondy and Max were in, Matt was sure there was a lot more than he was being told. He looked up and saw the helicopter still hovering above them. "Any chance they saw what happened?" He pointed towards the sky.

"Not through the tear gas." Logan had already thought of that. "It had started to clear but not enough for somebody above us to see Lydecker shoot himself." While they had been waiting for Matt, Logan had asked Mole to use the equipment in the command center to scan the helicopter for any equipment that could be used to tape the events inside Terminal City.

"Well, I guess that's about it." Matt put his note pad back in his pocket. "I may have to ask you some more questions later Logan. Better get your wife and sister in law home. They look pretty shaken up."

Logan nodded and gestured for Rein to follow him with Jondy. "Thanks Matt."

Matt followed them out of Terminal City. He wasn't sure what exactly had gone on today, but Donald Lydecker didn't strike him as the sort of person who would take his own life. If Max or Jondy had killed him, Matt was fairly certain it would have been in self defense.

That night Logan lay in bed holding his sleeping wife, incredibly aware of how close he had come to losing his whole family today. Another threat to his family was gone, but what had it cost Jondy to make the move to end this nightmare. She hadn't stopped shaking even when they left Terminal City.

"Why aren't you sleeping." Max mumbled.

"I'm thinking." Logan kissed the top of her head.

"Jondy just needs a little time. She'll be fine." Max opened her eyes to look up at Logan. "It's hard to believe the man we were all so scared of as children is finally gone."

"I bet Jondy was the last person you expected to finish his reign of fear." Logan still couldn't believe it himself.

"Which is exactly why Jondy should have been the first person Lydecker should have been wary of." Max pointed out. "The Manticore distraction strikes again. We're all safe. Now go to sleep before you make me jealous of my sister. Do you really want a repeat of last Thanksgiving?"

"Some of it wasn't bad." Logan chuckled as his wife playfully hit his chest. "I love you Max."

"I love you too." Max closed her eyes. "We're gonna get our happily ever after." She murmured as she drifted off to sleep.

_The End_


	45. And They Lived Happily Ever After

**"And They Lived Happily Ever After"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:** Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Tek, Julia, Rebecka, Jondy's children, Kylee, Keegan, Evan and Rein however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.  
**Summary:** Max and Logan's twins finally arrive.  
**Timeframe:** Freak Nation. Follow up story to A week in the life of a pregnant X5.  
**Rating:** PG  
**Category:** Drama, Romance, Action  


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There were only three weeks left to Max's pregnancy and she was more than a little fed up. Her ankles were swollen, she felt huge, she was tired all the time and worse still, she was scared of giving birth to twins. Logan was being a great support but he wasn't the one who was going to have to push out two children.

Logan on the other hand, being the eternal optimist had found Max's mood swings amusing. When he looked at his wife, he thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. He could tell Max was getting scared the closer the birth got, but he believed when the time came, he would be able to help her through the birth. He, himself was excited about getting to meet his children.

"Logan!" Max's voice rang out through the apartment. "I don't think we're going to have enough diapers." Max walked out of the nursery rubbing her back. "Thank God Jondy gave me all of the twins baby clothes otherwise we'd be short of those as well."

"Honey, we have plenty of everything." Logan held out his arms to his wife. "You have to stop worrying. It's not good for you or the babies."

Max sat down on Logan's lap. "Are you sure? Cause we're not going to have time to make a quick trip down the road once the babies are here." She frowned at Logan's computer screen. "Were you working?"

"Yes, because you were supposed to be sleeping." Logan reasoned. "It looks as though the world doesn't need saving today."

"I wish we could get away for a few days." Max pouted. "I'd settle for getting you away from that damn computer." Every time she woke up, she found Logan working on the computer.

Max had been impatient about Logan spending so much time on the computer before they got married. She was twice as bad now that she was pregnant. Logan had already made arrangements to take Max to his late Uncle's cabin, which his family had managed to hold onto.

"Just as well I packed for both of us so that we could spend some time alone in my family's cabin." Logan rested his chin on Max's shoulder. "Or did you have something else in mind."

"I'm sorry." Max knew she was being unreasonable. "It's these over active hormones of mine. I can't believe I'm jealous of a machine."

"It's ok." Logan kissed his wife's cheek. "I think we could both do with the break. Alec and Original Cindy promised to check in regularly with the Terminal City crew, so you won't have anything to worry about."

"What about Jondy?" Max had a few phone calls from her sister since Lydecker had been killed. Even though her sister said she was fine, Max felt her sister was barely dealing with having killed the King of their nightmares.

"You want Jondy to go with us?" Logan teased. "That sort of defeats the purpose of us going away to be alone."

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Max hit Logan's chest. "I know I was the one who said Jondy would be fine, but I think shooting Lydecker really shook her up."

Logan nodded. "It can't be easy, working hard to save people all day, only to have to kill someone to save the people you love." He could only see one other solution to their problem. "How about we take your cell phone so that Jondy can still call us if she needs to."

"The signal might not work out at the cabin." Max reminded Logan. 

"Yeah, but your twin radar works no matter where we are." Logan had also had the phone reconnected in the cabin, just in case he had to get Max out of there in a hurry.

"I know you're right." Max figured her sister would ask for help if she needed it. "So when are you going to whisk me away to your cabin in the woods?" The idea held a certain appeal. "And for how long?"

"Only a few days and we leave in the morning." Logan was pleased to see his idea cheered Max up a little. "Any other questions?"

"No." Max kissed her husband. "A few days alone with you and I may never want to come back to Seattle life."

"Well, as appealing as that sounds Angel I would prefer you to give birth to our children in a hospital." Logan nibbled on Max's collar bone. "I guess I'm just strange that way."

Max giggled. "You're strange full stop. I think I'll keep you anyway."

The drive out to the cabin the next morning was relaxing in itself for the two of them. All the pressures of Terminal City and Eyes Only were left behind them. Max had relaxed so much that she fell asleep in the car.

"Hey." Logan stroked his wife's hair. "Sweetheart, we're at the cabin." He loved watching Max sleep. It was rare that he got the opportunity when she wasn't pregnant, so he hated to wake her.

Max opened her eyes and stretched. "I hope our children don't inherit my normal sleeping patterns. I'm thinking that's a distinct possibility considering how much sleep I'm needing at the moment." Although, now that she was awake she felt as though she could take on the world.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough." Logan got out of the car and went to help his wife get out.

In Florida, Jondy sat down in a miniature chair and watched her young patient having a tea party with three dolls. "So Kylee, are the dolls still getting headaches?"

"No. The headaches went away after they had the operation." Kylee smiled up at Jondy. "You fixed them, like you fixed me."

Jondy stroked the little girl's head. "It was my pleasure. You let me know if those headaches come back to you or any of the dolls." She stood and walked into the corridor.

A nurse saw Jondy standing in the corridor and smiled with concern. "Are you alright Jess?"

"Yeah." Jondy dialed a number on her cell phone. "I have to go out of town for a few days. If Kylee complains of her dolls being ill, call me on my cell." She waited for her call to be answered.

"Her dolls?" The nurse was confused.

Jondy disconnected her call and dialed a different number. "Kylee won't tell you if she's feeling ill, but she say her dolls are ill. I don't usually prepare dolls for surgery, you know."

The nurse chuckled. "We were all wondering what you were doing? A few of us have bets that you were going insane."

"Not this week." Jondy grinned. Her call was answered at that moment. "Hey, I'm looking to fly the friendly skies. Care to be my pilot?" She giggled at the reply. "The next generation is thinking about making an appearance. We've got time for you to make a few pick ups." She listened for a few minutes. "See you then."

The nurse waited for Jondy to disconnect her call. "So, are you going out of town on family business?" She didn't know much about the redheaded doctor, but she did know that she had a large family of brothers and sisters.

"As always." Jondy dialed a third number. "Alec. Where is my sister?" She rolled her eyes. "Oh great. Can you get a call through to them?" She groaned at Alec's answer. "No, I tried Max's cell. There was no answer. I need you to go and get Zack. I'll meet you at the cabin with the rest of the siblings." She hung up her phone.

"What's wrong?" The nurse followed Jondy as she walked towards the Doctor's lounge.

"My twin sister and her husband went away to his family's cabin for a few days. My sister is in the early stages of labor and I can't contact her." Jondy threw her Doctor's coat in her locker and grabbed her purse.

"How do you know that she's in labor?" The nurse couldn't believe how fast Jondy was walking in high heels. She could barely keep up.

"It's a twin thing. I doubt that Max knows herself." Jondy remembered how she had been with her twins. She had just ignored the twinges as either false labor or the baby in an awkward position.

"Good luck." The nurse gave up following Jondy. She had heard that some twins had a bond where they knew what was going on with their twin. It was the first time she had seen it in action though.

Back at Jondy's home, Julia watched her daughter in law grab her bag that she kept packed. "I take it this cabin that Max and Logan have gone away to doesn't have a phone."

"If it has, the number is unlisted." Jondy stopped long enough to kiss all of her children good bye. "Even if I could find the number, there's no guarantee the line's connected." She hugged Julia. "With any luck I shouldn't be more than a few days."

"Be careful." Julia warned as Jondy raced out the door.

Logan had expected Max to want to sleep for most of their stay. But except for the babies kicking a lot, Max didn't seem to be the least bit effected by her pregnancy. At Max's suggestion they had gone for a walk, but it was starting to get dark so Logan started heading back to the cabin.

"You want to go back to the cabin already?" Max felt as though she could still walk on for miles yet. It must have been the fresh air.

"Well, it's getting dark and unlike you, I don't have night vision." Logan reasoned. "Besides, I thought you'd be exhausted."

Max frowned. "I know, it's really strange. I must have got enough sleep in the car, cause I feel great. If only the kids would stop using my insides as a football field, I'd be perfect."

"How about we let your sister know where we are, so that she doesn't worry." Logan had a feeling that something wasn't quite right with Max. All through her pregnancy, Max had been exhausted. It didn't seem natural that she was suddenly bursting with energy.

"Sure." Max shrugged her shoulders. "The phone's working in the cabin right? Cause I left my cell phone at home." She rubbed her back.

"The phone company said the phone would be connected by the time we got here." Logan was relieved to see the cabin ahead of them. "How about I make us some dinner while you call J."

"Sounds like a plan." Max eased herself into a chair and picked up the phone. There was no dial tone. "Honey, the phone's not working."

Before Logan could respond, the sound of an aircraft alerted them to visitors. Logan reached for his gun which he had brought with him just in case.

"You won't need the gun Logan." The sound of a motorbike confirmed what Max already knew. "My family's just arrived." She reached out for Logan's hand. "They're just in time. My water just broke."

"But you're not due for three weeks." Logan tried to remain calm, but was failing miserably. "How did your family know to come here."

"Twin radar." Max gritted her teeth as a strong contraction started. "Knowing my sister, she probably figured out the babies were on the way a while ago."

Zane walked through the front door with the rest of his siblings behind him. "X5 deliveries. You have a baby, we'll help deliver it." He grinned at his stunned brother in law. "What? You didn't think you two were going to do this alone did you?"

Tinga shoved her brother out of the way. "Max's water's broke J. Looks like we got here just in time." She kissed Max's cheek. "Next time it might be an idea to bring a cell phone."

"I'm not doing this again." Max was starting to think a hospital was sounding pretty good at the moment. Despite only having had the one contraction so far, she wasn't very eager to repeat this experience.

"You only want the one child?" Syl pictured Max and Logan with at least two children.

"Max is having twins." Logan realized that Jondy hadn't mentioned the twins to any of her siblings. Either she had thought that Max and Logan wanted to announce the news themselves, or she had simply forgotten. Considering how traumatic killing Lydecker had been for her, he thought the second option was more likely.

"Can't you two do anything different?" Krit joked as Jondy checked on Max's progress. "Just because you're twins, doesn't mean you can't be different."

"The father of Max's children is actually going to be at the birth." Jondy snapped. "Is that different enough for you?" She would have preferred if her sister had been closer to a hospital. "Logan, let's get Max into the bedroom."

Logan picked up his wife and carried her into the bedroom. "What do you need me to do J?"

"For the moment, just hold Max's hand." Jondy sat beside her sister on the bed. "Max, you took the Lamaze classes, you know what to do."

"They're too early." Max had never been so terrified in her life.

"Well, that just means they're impatient like their mother." Jondy's voice was calming. "Logan and I are going to get you through this. You have nothing to worry about. Alec, Zack, Rein and Jace are guarding the perimeter so that you won't have any extra uninvited guests."

"Any chance this can be over and done with in a couple of hours." Max joked just before another contraction hit her.

"Your contractions are too far apart." Jondy replied sympathically. "Sorry, we going to be here a while. Why? Do you have some place to be?"

"No." Max relaxed as the contraction passed. "It's just with everyone here, I was hoping not to keep them waiting for too long."

Jondy gave an unladylike snort. "Like they have anything else to do." A yell of combined protests went up in the next room. Jondy grinned. "See."

Logan propt Max up with some extra pillows from a nearby cupboard. "Your brothers and sisters just want to support you. I'm sure they won't mind the wait." There was dead silence in the next room. "Right?" He raised his voice slightly.

There were responses of 'sure, no problem, absolutely, yeah and I've got the time'. Max couldn't help but smile at her siblings reactions. It felt good to have her family close by. "So how have you been since Lydecker departed from our lives?" Max decided it was as good a conversation as any to pass the time.

"I'm still getting used to not having to look over my shoulder for him all the time." Jondy dug through the bag that Logan had packed for one of his shirts for Max to wear. "Any word on the South Africans?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah. They packed up shop and left the country. From what I hear, it's part of the conditions issued with their release." He helped Max out of her wet clothes and into his shirt. "I wish I could tell you that you don't have to be careful any longer. Unfortunately, the general public are still scared of transgenics and that fear is dangerous."

"People can be so dumb sometimes." Max stated simply. "At least with White and Lydecker gone, there's no one playing on those fears." She clutched her husband's hand. "Oh God. Here comes another one."

Logan gritted his teeth against the pain of Max squeezing his hand as the contraction coursed through her. "Is it me, or is this worse than when you gave birth J?"

Jondy grinned. "It's different. You don't love me like you love Max. That's why it seems worse to you."

"It seems worse to me as well." Max grunted. "That could be because I wasn't in labor last time of course."

Flexing his aching fingers, Logan was relieved to see Max was finding some humor in the whole situation. "So when do you start blaming me for doing this to you?"

"Probably around the time I have to start pushing two little people out of a hole the size of a pea." Max had been convinced before the contractions had started, that she wouldn't be taking the labor out on Logan. However, now that she had felt the contractions, she was pretty sure she was going to end up cursing him to hell.

"Good, we've got time to spare." When Logan felt Max give his hand another painful squeeze, he changed his mind. "That contraction was closer."

"I know." Jondy could see that she was going to have her hands full with the would be father more than Max. "There's plenty of time Logan. Although if you don't calm down, I'll have to get Zack to fill in for you."

Jondy's words instantly calmed Logan. At least he hoped that was what Jondy thought. No way was he going to miss the birth of his children. "I'm fine. I'll be good." He tried one of his smiles that always seemed to melt Max.

"Save the award winning smiles for your wife." Jondy stood and went to speak to her siblings.

"Sweetie, when it comes to anything medical Jondy's no pushover." Max warned Logan. "Don't worry. I still love you."

Zane stood leaning against the window frame staring out of the window. Watching his brother pacing agitatedly outside, he wondered if it had been such a good idea to bring him along. Something had happened when they had arrived and he wasn't sure what. All he knew was that Jondy had pulled Zack aside outside the cabin and told him to guard the perimeter. Then she had asked Alec, Rein and Jace to guard Zack while maintaining they were also guarding the perimeter.

"He looks like a volcano ready to explode." Tinga walked up behind her brother. "Any idea what's going on?"

"Considering J is keeping Zack outside the cabin, I'd say it has something to do with Max." Zane knew his sister would be too busy helping Max give birth to waste her time stopping Zack from attacking Logan. That meant he had to keep Zack in his sights.

Tinga glanced out the window with her brother. "He picked a bad time to get a memory flash." She had been kept up to date with Zack's condition. She had also noticed how Zane and Jondy had kept an eye on Zack at Max and Logan's wedding.

Zane saw Krit and Syl heading for the door. "Hey. Where are you two going?"

Krit kept his voice low. "Jondy recommending we get some sleep while we can. She wants me rested up in case we have to fly Max and the babies to a hospital."

Syl held onto Krit's hand. "I think we all assumed that because Jondy had a relatively easy labor that Max would be the same."

"Considering the rocky start Max had with her pregnancy and the fact the babies are three weeks early, Jondy's covering all the bases." Tinga guessed.

"Pretty much." Krit confirmed. "I should have realized there could be some problem when Jondy snapped at me."

"Jondy can be pretty hard to read sometimes." Syl tried to comfort Krit.

"It's not only that." Zane shook his head. "Jondy's probably remembering how the father of her children couldn't be there to hold her hand when she was in labor."

"I'd forgotten about that." Krit admitted. "Give me a yell if you need anything." He and Syl walked hand in hand back out to the plane.

Alec and Jace passed Krit and Syl and walked into the cabin. "How's Max doing?" Jace sat down on the sofa.

"It's still early stages yet." Tinga sat down beside her sister. "I think we're going to be here a while. How come you two are in here?"

"Jondy wanted to talk to Zack alone." Alec stood beside Zane at the window. "Any idea what's got him so wired? Rein's still out there watching him."

"I think we'll find out soon enough." Zane was one of the few people who could read Jondy and right now she looked pissed. "Wouldn't you just love to be a fly on the wall in that conversation."

Rein could hear every word that Jondy and Zack was saying. God Zack had bad timing. "Sorry to interrupt guys, but won't Max be able to pick up on this conversation?"

Jondy shook her head. "She's in the middle of another contraction. Trust me, she's got other things on her mind. I just hope she hasn't broken Logan's fingers." She turned back to Zack. "What did you think you were doing hitting on Max in this cabin? If you were going to hit on her, couldn't you have picked somewhere Logan's family didn't own?"

"From what I can remember, I saw an opportunity and took it." Zack protested. "A lot of good it did me. I think she went running back to Seattle to be with him and ended up in prison."

"Sis, maybe you'd better get back to Max." Rein figured Jondy had enough to cope with, without having to deal with Zack and his memory flashbacks. "Zack and I will stay out here."

"Does Max even know I'm here." Zack knew it wouldn't make any difference to Max. She loved Logan. She would never love him that way.

"She knows you're guarding the perimeter." Jondy was not going to get Zack's hopes up over nothing. "The contractions are getting closer. Max needs Logan to get her through this and I don't want to have to be worried about you bursting in while I'm trying to help Max deliver twins."

"I'll stay out here with Rein." Zack begrudgingly promised. He watched his sister walk back inside. "When did she get so bossy?"

"I'm trying to work out if that's J in Mother mode or Doctor mode." Rein chuckled. 

"Logan, are you sure your hand's alright." Max was worried that she had broken Logan's fingers.

"It's fine." Logan wriggled his fingers to prove nothing was broken. "You just cut of my blood circulation for a bit."

"I don't know if your hand can survive me going through labor." Max watched as the color rushed back into Logan's hand. "Is it just me, or did Jondy make this seem so much easier when she was in labor."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Logan winced as Max squeezed his hand again. I seem to remember losing the feeling in my hand for a while when she was giving birth a well. Still, it can't be much longer." He tried to look on the bright side. "Your last two contractions were really close together."

"You mean this is nearly over." Max panted. "That would be great cause I'm just about at the point where I'm never gonna let you touch me ever again."

"Well, it sounds as though you're ready to meet your children." Jondy breezed in the room. "I've sent Tinga and Jace to pick up some baby supplies. By the time the twins arrive, we'll be all set."

"When can we get Max into a hospital?" Logan wasn't sure why Jondy hadn't tried to fly Max out there already.

"I don't want to risk moving Max unless I absolutely have to." Jondy had taken into consideration every detail of Max's pregnancy. Considering how difficult the beginning stages had been, she felt it was too risky to move Max while she was in labor. "Ok Max, with your next contraction I want you to push."

Logan positioned himself behind Max on the bed. "You can do this Max." He braced himself for another hand crunching experience.

"That's easy for you to say." Max said as she pushed. She was appreciating her sister more and more with every passing minute. "How the hell did you get through this with no medical personnel around you."

Jondy concentrated on the baby whose head had appeared. "I screamed at your husband if I remember correctly. Give me another big push."

"Glad I could be of help." Logan replied through gritted teeth.

"You want to be of help, then you give birth to these children." Max yelled at him. "They would have to have your shoulders."

Logan wiped Max's forehead with the damp facecloth Jondy had brought in with her. "I wondered when the verbal abuse was going to start."

"Ok Max, we have the head and shoulders of your first baby. I need one more big push to get the rest of the baby out." Jondy struggled not to laugh at her sister yelling at her husband.

"Great. That means these children are going to be tall like their father as well." Max grunted as she pushed again.

When Jondy held up the screaming baby boy, Logan almost cried with joy. "Max, he's beautiful."

Max was openingly weeping. "I can't believe we made him. I can't believe I'm crying about it. I can't believe I have to do this again."

Logan chuckled at his wife's babbling. "You doing great Angel." He kissed Max's forehead. "Just great."

Jondy wrapped her new nephew in a clean towel and handed him to Logan "Max relax for a few seconds and then we'll see if your second baby wants to come out and play." She struck her head out of the door and asked Zane to phone Original Cindy and Rebecka to let them know what was going on. She also sent Alec to go and get Syl.

"Why'd you send for Syl?" Max got worried.

"So that she can hold your son while you give birth to your second child." Jondy raised an eyebrow. "I can call one of our brother's in here if you want."

"No, that's ok." Max could see Jondy's point.

Syl walked into the room. "So I hear I have a new nephew." She beamed when Logan handed her his son. "He's perfect."

"Why don't you introduce him to the rest of the family while we finish up here." Jondy suggested. "Right. Ready to do this all over again Max?"

"Not really." Max muttered. "I don't suppose we can leave this for a few more weeks." A painful contraction let her know that her unborn child had other ideas. "Ow. I guess I'll take that as a no."

"You know the drill Max." Jondy could see how exhausted her sister was. With a little luck the second baby would be a little easier. "On your next contraction push."

"I don't want to push anymore." Max had never felt this tired before. "Why can't Logan push. He did this to me."

"I wish I could Max, but I don't think it's going to help you any." Logan glanced over at Jondy to get some idea of how Max was really doing. Unfortunately, as usual Jondy's expression was impossible to read.

Max pushed with her next contraction. "You'd better be satisfied with just the two kids Logan, cause if you ever do this to me again you are a dead man."

"Stop pushing Max." Jondy saw that second baby's face was going blue. "The umbilical cord is around the baby's neck. I just need to move it." A couple of seconds later the baby was no longer tangled up. "Ok push."

The second baby's crying relieved any tension that had descended over the room. "It's another boy." Logan cradled his exhausted wife in his arms. "We have two sons Max."

"Is he alright?" Max had tears streaming down her face.

Jondy wrapped the baby in another clean towel. "He's fine Max. You have two perfect baby boys." She didn't add that it had been touch and go there for a few seconds. "You did great."

Logan agreed. "We got our family Max. You gave us two beautiful sons. Two little miracles." He kissed his wife. "God I love you."

Jondy called Syl back in with the other baby before leaving the new parents alone with their sons. As Syl and Jondy walked into the living room, Zack burst into the cabin with Rein right behind him. He came to an abrupt stop at the sight of Jondy standing with her hands on her hips. "Congratulations. You have two new nephews."

Zack's face broke into a rarely seen grin. "Boys. Max had two boys. That evens up the numbers a bit."

Zane rolled his eyes. "How's the new Mum doing?" He could see a tenseness to Jondy. He had a feeling the births hadn't been easy.

"Exhausted." Jondy was feeling pretty exhausted herself. "I want to get her to Metro Medical where she can be monitored properly at least for a day. Zane, can you call Beverly and tell her that we're on the way."

Zane was on his cell phone before Jondy had even finished her sentence. Jace handed Jondy a bag of supplies that she and Tinga had fetched. "I'll go and tell Krit to get the plane started."

Alec chuckled. Only Max and Logan could cause this amount of panic over something that should have been so normal and natural. "You want me to call Original Cindy and Rebecka and get them to meet us at the hospital?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Jondy turned to Rein. "Is there anything in the plane that can be turned into a stretcher for Max?"

"I'll go look." Rein tapped Zack on the shoulder. "Come on. You can help me."

Syl watched her brothers head out of the door. "So what do you need us to do?" She turned to Jondy. "Cause you know as well as I do that Logan is going to carry Max out of here."

Jondy grinned. "You and Tinga get to carry our nephews out of here. I'm just going to help Max get cleaned up and check Logan's hand."

Tinga waited until Jondy had gone back into the bedroom before shaking her head in disbelief. "I can't believe Max went from not being able to have children to giving birth to twins."

"Guess Jondy not the only one who can perform miracles." Alec grabbed Logan's car keys from the sideboard where he had left them. "Tell J I'm taking Logan's car back." He wasn't as enthralled with babies as the others were. Looking back, the only babies he had ever felt any interest towards were Jondy's twins. Though if he really admitted it, his interest was more in the twins mother than the twins themselves.

Moments later everyone was on the way to Metro Medical. Upon arrival Max and the twins were thoroughly checked out by Beverly and Jondy. Despite Max's protests, Jondy insisted that she spend one night in the hospital.

Each of the X5 siblings took up different posts around the hospital to ensure the safety of their sister and new nephews. Later Jondy went to check on Max, only to find her sister wide awake and Logan fast asleep in a chair next to her bed. "So what are your son's names?" Jondy perched on the edge of Max's bed.

"Well, we had already settled on Keegan if we had a boy." Max chuckled quietly. "When you told us that I was pregnant with twins, we sort of assumed for some strange reason that I would have a boy and a girl like you did. We discussed it though and we decided on Evan. It was the closest name we could come up with to Eva."

"Keegan and Evan Cale." Jondy grinned. "Good strong names. Just like your boys. Beverly says she's never seen babies born three weeks early that were so strong and alert before."

"Must be in their DNA." Logan muttered and he rubbed his eyes. "They get that from their mother." He flexed his sore shoulders. "I just hope they don't get her lack of need for sleep. I'd sort of like some time to have her all to myself occasionally." He smiled lovenly at Max.

"I don't see that being a problem." Max reached out and stroked her husband's cheek. "What with my siblings, Original Cindy and my mother all asking if they can baby-sit, I think we'll have plenty of us time."

"I'm drawing the line at Sketchy baby sitting unsupervised though." Logan kissed Max's palm, before looking up at Jondy. "Did we ever thank you for your help."

"No, but I took it as a given." Jondy smiled at the happy couple. "By the way Joshua said to tell you that he has the Terminal City kids making Keegan and Evan gifts. Mole and Tek say they have everything under control at Terminal City."

"Well thanks anyway Sis." Max squeezed her sister's hand. "This could have turned out so differently if you hadn't shown up."

"The joys of twin radar." Jondy joked. "I'll see you both in the morning."

Logan brushed Max's hair out of her face. "How are you feeling?" Max had slept on the plane and now seemed to have reverted back to her old sleeping habits.

"I feel great." Max caught hold of Logan's hand. "We did it Logan. We got our fairytale ending."

"We sure did." Logan didn't miss the ironery of how difficult it had been to get that fairytale ending. "So now what do we do?"

Max giggled. "We live happily ever after according to the fairytales."

Logan laughed. "I think I can live with that."

_The End_

_...as in THE END, unfortunately. Stay tuned for some Bonus Chapters.. Due any minute now._


	46. Extra Chapter: Change of Season

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Extra chapter, not an actual part of the series.

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**"Change of Season"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Rating:**

PG - some graphical violence

**Category:**

Romance

**Spoilers:**

Response to Challenge # 54 (Spring Challenge: Write about spring. Is your character happy to hear the music of the melting ice or dismayed that they can't go snowmobiling until next year? What does Spring mean to them?

**Summary:**

When Original Cindy gets depressed at the beginning of Spring, it's up to Max and Logan to change her mind.

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. No copyright infringement intended.

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Spring: The changing of another season. Ice dripping and changing into water at the change of temperature. Snow melted before your eyes. How Original Cindy hated the first few days of Spring. Everything looked so confused. It was a sort of half and half. There was still ice and snow, but also patches where it had melted leaving puddles of mud. Every year she watched dejectedly as the fluffy looking white powder disappeared.

"Morning." Max bounced into the apartment. "Isn't it great? Spring is here. No more freezing cold apartment. No more slipping on icy pavements. At least not until next year, anyway."

Original Cindy watched Max suspiously. "What are you so happy about? Last Summer, you were complaining that it was too hot. But the first few days of Summer you thought were wonderful. Same with Winter, only you said it was too cold. Same with Autumn, then it was the leaves changing color and messing up the streets. Of course, your problem with Winter changed, when Jondy cured that love bug virus of yours and you found another way to keep warm."

Max shrugged her shoulders. "So, you get grumpy every year when the snow starts to melt. What's up with that?" She had become used to her friend's anti spring mood over the years. "You want me to stay home with you tonight? We can be grumpy together." She was sure Logan would understand if she cancelled on their plans tonight.

Original Cindy couldn't help but smile at her friend's thoughtfulness. "Nah. No sense in both of us being grumpy. Somehow I figure Logan's probably making plans for the two of you as we speak."

Max shrugged her shoulders. "He said something about wanting to surprise me. I'm sure it's nothing that can't wait."

Original Cindy chuckled. "Oh no you don't. You are not canceling. You want to cheer me up, then be back here tomorrow with all the details." She had come to know that where Max was concerned, Logan pulled out all the stops.

Max's face lit up. "Deal." She left Original Cindy glaring at the melting snow and went to get ready for work. Secretly she was glad she hadn't had to cancel on Logan. As much as Original Cindy's friendship meant to her, this was the same thing that happened every year.

Logan looked over his handy work again. Everything seemed to have been thought of. All he had to do was wait for Max to arrive. Plucking a single daffodil out of a vase that he had placed on the floor, he walked over to the door where he could hear the lock being picked.

Max was surprised to open the door and find Logan waiting for her to finish breaking in. "I'm obviously loosing my touch if you actually know when I'm breaking in." She beamed when Logan held out the daffodil for her.

"Close your eyes." Logan watched with amusement when Max rolled her eyes but did as she was told. Gently taking her hand, he led her into the living room. "Alright. You can open your eyes."

Max wasn't sure what she had expected, but her jaw dropped at the sight of the extravagant picnic set up on the living room floor. A checkered blanket had been laid out on the floor. Plates of sandwiches, cakes and fruit had been carefully placed on the blanket. A bottle of wine was chilling in a bucket of ice to the side. Surrounding the blanket, vases of different brightly colored spring flowers had been placed.

Logan watched Max silently for a moment. Expressions of surprise, then delight crossed her lovely face. He seriously doubted, she had ever been on a picnic before. "When the weather improves a bit more, I'll take you on a real picnic." He promised.

Max threw her arms around him and kissed him. "Thank you. This must have taken you ages to set up." She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have Logan in her life. She had spent so much of her life convinced that she was destined to be alone.

Logan led her onto the blanket and sat down beside her. "It was worth it to see the expression on your face." He poured them each a glass of wine. "To Spring." He toasted.

Max clinked glasses with Logan. "I take it you enjoy Spring." She sipped her wine, looking at Logan over the rim of her glass.

Logan looked wistful for a moment. "My mother used to love it. She loved the brightly colored flowers, the way you could smell the different scents on the breeze. My father though it was all sentimental nonsense, but when he thought no one was looking, you could see what he liked best about Spring. It was my mother's obvious joy in it. He would watch her for hours, when she pointed out the different types of flower to me." He missed those times he spent with his mother. His father, for all his sternness, took such joy in his wife's appreciation of life.

Max wished she had known Logan's mother. The rare times that Logan spoke of her, she sounded like a wonderful person. "It sounds as though you inherited your mother's love of Spring." She giggled to herself. "I left Original Cindy sulking at the melting snow. Spring is not a favorite of hers."

Logan chuckled as he pictured Max's friend staring out a window fully prepared to tell the snow it wasn't allowed to melt. "Maybe we can convince her Spring isn't so bad. Let's eat first though, I'm starving."

The next morning Original Cindy woke and swung her legs out of bed. Still half asleep, she stumbled into the living room. The sight that met her eyes was so unbelievable, that she rubbed her eyes to make sure what she was seeing was real. The living room was full of balloons, each anchored down with a vase of Spring flowers. One balloon caught her eye. It had writing on it. Walking closer so that she could read it, Original Cindy began to chuckle. "Still think Spring sux?" Marveling in the splashes of color, she shook her head. "Alright Boo. Maybe Spring isn't so bad after all."

_The End_


	47. Extra Chapter: Decisions

* * *

Extra chapter, not an actual part of the series.

* * *

**"Decisions"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Caroline, Devon, and Hank however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

**Summary:**

The horror of growing up at Manticore, and not living as a normal child prompts the decision to escape. After the death of a sister and a brother the decision is put into action.

**Timeframe:**

Pre season 1

**Rating:**

R

* * *

The inside of the Manticore facility was as sterile and daunting looking as the outside of it. Each child that marched down the hallways of the imposing building hid their fear of the eyes that they could feel watching them, but could not see. Not one of them moved out of line and marched as though they were one. 

Although she kept her eyes facing forward, Max could see one of the guards staring at her sister, Jondy. There was something about his stare that made her uncomfortable, but she wasn't sure what. She guessed her sister must have either seen it or sensed it herself, as Max could feel her sister tense up beside her. She pushed her thoughts aside as she noticed Jack start to shake up ahead of her. The seizures had started again and they were strong. 

Each of the X5s reached out for Jack as he fell to the floor shaking uncontrollably from the seizures that took over his small body. The guards started to pull the X5s away from the seizing child. When the guard who had been staring at Jondy moved towards her, Zane stepped in the way, gently pulling his sister clear himself. The guards quickly picked Jack up and carried him towards the infirmary. Another guards ordered the X5s back into line. 

Zack signaled the others to move back into line, but his face held a defiant look. A plan was already forming in his mind. He knew as well as the others that they wouldn't be seeing Jack again. He looked over at Max to make sure that she was alright before continuing the march they had started. 

That night, the absence of Jack was present in everyone's minds. It was as though an icy wind blew through the barrack chilling them all. Finally somebody suggested that Ben tell one of his stories. It had made them feel better in the past, but not tonight. 

"Do you think they sent Jack to stay with the nomalies?" Jace asked, the fear obvious in her face and voice. She could think of nothing worse than being trapped with the nomalies that lived in the basement. 

Ben shook his head and squeezed his sister's hand. "No. I bet the Blue Lady is looking after him. Jack's gone to the good place where nobody gets yelled at and the nomalies can't get to you. The Blue Lady lives there and makes sure that nobody gets hurt or is ever sad." Ben, of course had nothing to base his story on. There was such a place, he was sure of it. Because of his certainty, the other X5s believed. 

Zack sat on his bunk watching his siblings. He had to get them out of there. He didn't know what a normal childhood was like, but he was sure that none of them were living it. As always, his gaze rested on Max. Her safety was always at the front of his mind, although he wasn't sure why. He loved the way her face lit up when Ben told stories. It was as though her whole face shone. It wasn't something he saw a lot of though. Next he looked at Jondy who was cuddled up next to Max. He hadn't missed the way that Zane had blocked the guard's path to her that day. There was something wrong there. He would speak to Zane about it when he could get Zane alone. It was no use waiting for everyone to go to sleep as Max and Jondy rarely slept. 

Zane had started going everywhere with Jondy. If she even had to go to the bathroom, he would follow her and wait outside to ensure she was safe. Lydecker had seen something in Jondy that he felt would make her the perfect distraction. Unfortunately, she seemed to be distracting the guards. One in particular couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of her and Zane had noticed that the guard kept brushing up against Jondy. Lately Zane had felt uneasy when the guard had even touched his sister's arm. It was a simple enough gesture in itself, but it felt as though there were a hidden meaning behind it. Glancing over at Jondy to reassure himself that she was alright, Zane rolled over in his bunk and went to sleep. 

Jondy signaled to Max that she was going to stretch her legs. Part of her wanted to wake Zane to go with her, but he looked as though he were sleeping peacefully and she had no wish to disturb even the brief moment of peace that he had seemed to have found. She made her way towards the infirmary, sliding up against the wall so that the cameras couldn't locate her. Sneaking into the infirmary she saw that something or someone was covered up by a white sheet. Glancing around her to make sure that nobody was watching, Jondy walked up and lifted the sheet. Upon seeing who was lying beneath it, she dropped the sheet back down and raced for the door. The horror of what she had just seen would be forever in her head. 

Zane felt someone shaking him. Opening his eyes, he saw Max standing over him with a worried look on her face. It could only mean one thing. Zane glanced over at Jondy's empty bed. It was pointless to ask Max where Jondy was, Zane knew that. Max and Jondy had always had a strange bond between them. It was instinct for Max to know that something was wrong with Jondy. Cautiously, Zane left his bunk and went looking for Jondy. 

Max waited until Zane had left the room before waking Zack to fill him in on what was going on. Zack wouldn't like the fact that Zane had gone after Jondy without clearing it with him first. Sure enough, Zack was furious when he realized that his siblings had left their bunks without his permission. Quietly he woke the others and organized a search party. With any luck, they would all be back in their bunks before Lydecker and the guards knew what was going on. 

So consumed with the horrified memories of what she had seen running through her head, Jondy didn't notice the guard until it was too late. She felt her body being shoved up against the wall and her clothes being torn from her body. When she tried to push the guard away, he punched her in the face causing her head to slam against the wall. Still she fought against him despite the now overpowering headache. She couldn't hold back the scream as he forced himself into her. Her entire body seemed to be screaming in pain and then suddenly she fell to the floor when the weight of the guard was lifted from her. 

Zane stood over the guard's dead body for a moment before racing into the infirmary to grab a sheet to cover his sister's battered and bruised body. As he wrapped her in the sheet he saw Lydecker approaching him. Expecting to be shot on the spot, Zane was surprised when Lydecker gently lifted Jondy into his arms and carried her to the infirmary, gesturing with his head for Zane to follow. Zane watched as Lydecker lay Jondy on an examination table and told Zane to stay with his sister. A female doctor was sent into the room moments later to check the damage done to Jondy. 

Jondy clung onto Zane's hand as the doctor examined her. She was more concerned about what would happen to Zane. He had killed a guard to save her and he could be terminated because of it. She saw that Zane was watching something outside the door, his expression becoming grimmer by the moment. "Zane. What's going on?" She winced as the doctor prodded her tender body. 

"Lydecker's cleaning up the mess I've made." Zane was confused. Lydecker seemed to be covering for him, but why. He realized that the doctor that was examining Jondy was probably under strict orders not to repeat anything she saw or heard that night. "The others will notice we're missing." He had no wish to get the others in trouble. 

"Don't leave me," Jondy pleaded with Zane. "I'm scared." She knew the doctor was trying to be gentle with her, but she was in pain. She whimpered as the doctor continued her examination. 

"I'm not going anywhere, Jondy." Zane had no idea how he was going to convince Lydecker to let him stay with his sister, but there was no way he was going to leave her alone. Not when she was this scared. "You can't let them keep you scared, Jondy. That guard isn't going to be hurting anyone ever again. You're going to get through this. I promise I will help you." 

Zack signaled his team to stop. He could see Lydecker disposing of a body. He knew this had something to do with Jondy and Zane somehow. They would have to head back to their barrack. There was nothing they could do now, especially if Lydecker was involved. Zack signaled everybody to head back to their bunks. Somehow he would have to get his brothers and sisters out of here. 

It was five days before Zack and Jondy rejoined their squadron. Jondy was even more reserved than she had been previously and Zane was more protective of her. They had confirmed with the others that Jack had been experimented on for the source of his seizures. Jondy had even seen his body. Max's seizures had been coming more often lately and the others had been covering for her. 

Krit marched beside Syl, directly in front of Max when the seizures started. Zack and Jondy had grabbed Max as she fell. As they closed around their fallen sister, Eva grabbed one of the guards gun and triggered it. Standing directly in front of Max, Eva held the guards at bay. But Lydecker wouldn't stand for such disobedience and fired off a shot before Eva could. She was dead before she hit the ground. 

Lydecker ordered the X5s back into line. He could see the looks of hatred on each of their faces. His kids were the best out of all of the X series. He would not settle for anything less and if it took each of them hating him to make them perfect soldiers, then they could hate him all they liked. He had kept the incident involving Jondy and Zane quiet. As far as anyone knew, the two X5s had been put in solitary confinement for leaving their bunks against orders. Jondy was too traumatized to deny his story. Zane, on the other hand, was not about to put his sister through more stress by letting the others know that a guard had raped Jondy and he had broken the bastard's neck. 

Zack started to take an interest in the guards' shifts and movements. He realized that some of his siblings would be too frightened to leave, but he was going to get as many out as he could. He wasn't going to wait for Lydecker to kill anymore of his family. Each day he went through the normal Manticore routines and at night he planned their escape. 

Lydecker started to notice a change in some of the X5s. He couldn't pinpoint what the change was, but he had a feeling they were planning something. He ordered security be tightened but instinct told him that wouldn't be enough. 

Zack waited for lights out that night and gathered his family around him. "Here's the thing, nobody has to go tonight. You can stay if you want, but I'm not going to stick around for Lydecker to pick us off one by one. We've already lost Jack and Eva. Who knows who could be next." What really worried Zack was that Max could be the next one. He couldn't just stand by and let that happen. "We have to go tonight." He had been watching Lydecker. He knew that Lydecker would be watching them closely, so they had to move out before he could become even more suspicious. 

"I'm in." Krit had no idea what had happened with Zane and Jondy, but he knew Zane would only kill if Jondy were in danger and he had noticed that one of the guards had mysteriously disappeared. Zane had confirmed later that he had killed the guard, but wouldn't say why. "I don't know what awaits us out there, but I'm sick of being a Manticore toy." 

"I'm in, too." Syl wanted a better life or at least a difference one. One that didn't consist of field maneuvers, training exercises and guns. 

Max glanced over at Jondy. She wouldn't go if Jondy wasn't going. She waited for Jondy to nod. Jondy was in, which meant Zane would be coming to. "Jondy, Zane and I are in as well." 

"You're not going without me," Tinga added. She had no desire to stay behind. Even if they got caught, they would have at least made a try for freedom. 

"I was getting fed up of this place anyway." Ben grinned. "I guess I'm in as well." 

There were thirteen of them all together. In single file they crept down the corridors pressed up against the wall. Zack had planned it so that the escape would be timed to avoid the patrols. It was working perfectly until one of the guards decided to check the barracks to make sure everyone was in their bunks. 

At the sound of the alarm, Jace froze. Max beckoned her to follow them but Jace just shook her head. As much as Max hated to leave her behind, she knew if she stayed, she would probably end up like a science experiment the way Jack had. 

Down to twelve, they crashed through a window and headed for the fence. Max and Jondy climbed up the fence side by side. A few of the others that had decided to stay behind made a sudden dash for the window. Unfortunately they were all caught by the patrols that Lydecker ordered out. 

Barefoot, they raced over the snow-covered fields. Guards on snowmobiles drew close to them, but the X5s had been taught well and hid amongst the trees. Freedom was close at hand. They gathered around Zack as he signaled their movements. They would have to split up. It was ever that or they would all get caught. Moving quickly and quietly through the trees, the X5s avoided the guards as best they could. As Max ran across the ice, it cracked beneath her and she fell into the icy water. One of her siblings ran up to help her out of the water but the sound of approaching guards caught the attention of both of them. Quickly Max ducked under the icy water while her sibling hid behind a tree. When the guard past them unaware of where they were hiding, Max pulled herself up out of the freezing water with a little help. She glanced behind her in time to see Zack being caught. Max had the feeling he allowed himself to be caught to give the others a chance to get away. 

Jondy turned to see what Max was staring at. Trading glances with Max, they both realized that they had to make a run for it. If they got caught as well, Zack's actions would be in vain. They waved goodbye to each other and ran in different directions. 

Zack smiled to himself as he watched Max and Jondy raced towards freedom. The guards managed to get him as far as the Manticore fences before Zack turned their own weapons on them. "You shouldn't play with guns. It's dangerous," he taunted them before escaping for the second time that night. 

Zane followed Jondy once she and Max had headed in separate directions. He realized that his sister would have no trouble getting someone to look after her. The problem would be finding someone who wouldn't use and abuse Jondy. He caught up with her easily and they headed for the nearest bus station. It wouldn't be hard for the two X5s to find a bus to sneak aboard. The first bus that showed up was heading for San Francisco. Zane saw another bus heading for Los Angeles. He pulled his sister aside. "You take that bus, I take this one. If you get into trouble, you'll know where I'll be." 

Jondy nodded that she understood and hugged her brother good bye. "I'll be fine. I'm not going to let Manticore win." She smiled at her brother as she crept onto the bus without being seen. She hid herself in the baggage compartment unsure if she really believed what she had just said to Zane. 

Zane waited until he was sure that Jondy was hidden out of sight on the bus before sneaking aboard the bus to Los Angeles. He wished he could have stayed with Jondy to make sure she would be safe, but it would have made it easier for Manticore to find them. Something told him that Jondy would be fine. Over the past few days he had seen a side of Jondy that she kept well hidden. A side that was determined to keep those she didn't know and trust firmly on the outside of the wall she had built around herself. 

Max froze when she saw the headlights of an oncoming car. Manticore couldn't have found her that easily. As the car slowed down to stop beside her, Max braced herself to make a run for it. There was no way she was going to let them take her back. The door was thrown open and she saw the driver. 

Hannah realized that there was a possibility that Max wouldn't trust her, but she had to take the chance. "Get in." She saw the hesitation in the little girls face before she finally climbed into the vehicle. Hannah had no idea how she was going to keep the little girl safe from Manticore, but for tonight her home would be the safest place. They could figure the rest out tomorrow. 

Krit and Syl had stayed together as long as possible before jumping aboard passing trucks heading in different directions. Each of them wondering if they would ever see their siblings again. Zack hadn't planned any further than getting them out of Manticore and over the fence. From here they were all on their own. 

A few years later, Zack had escaped from yet another foster home. His foster parents weren't too bad, he had, had worse, but he had a mission. He had to locate all of the siblings that he had escaped with. He suspected that they had all been put into foster homes as he had. After breaking into the adoption agency's computer he had managed to locate the last foster home of all of his siblings except for Jondy. She seemed to have disappeared off of the face of the planet. Zack couldn't help but smile. Disappearing in front of people was what Jondy did best, but there would be one person who would know where she was. Zane. Leaving the same way he had come in, Zack headed for Los Angeles. 

Zane rolled his eyes as his foster father started throwing things across the living room. Obviously the cable was out again. He tugged on his foster mother's hand and nodded towards the front door. It was time to go and he wasn't going to leave the poor woman behind to have to deal with the drunken sods temper, not that his temper was any better when he was sober. "Time to go, Caroline." He could see the fear in her face as she shook her head. "I'm not leaving you here alone. You're too good for a life like this." He always kept a bag packed in the hallway cupboard just incase. He had packed a bag for his foster mother when he had realized that his foster father had taken to beating Caroline. He grabbed the bags and Caroline's hand and left through the front door before his foster father could notice they were leaving. 

There was a woman's shelter a few blocks down. Zane made up his mind to drop Caroline off there before heading to San Francisco to see how Jondy was doing. They were almost at the shelter when Caroline's husband caught up with them. There was no way Zane was going to let Hank hit Caroline. As Hank raised his fist to hit his wife Zack appeared out of nowhere and knocked Hank flying. "Zane! Let's go." Same old Zack. Still issuing orders and expecting Zane to follow them. 

"Not until we get her to safety." Zane face was filled with determination. He could see that Zack wasn't happy that he was disobeying a direct order. "It's not far, Zack." He waited for Zack to nod his consent. 

"Fine, just hurry up. Once he sobers up, he's going to be wondering how a kid just knocked him for six." Zack followed Zane and the woman to the shelter and kept watch until Zane made sure that she would stay there and not go back to her husband out of guilt. "Do you know where Jondy is? I can't find any trace of her." 

Zane nodded. "Yeah, I was just heading there to check up on. She's in San Francisco. This kid called Devon found her and took her home to his mother. She's been living with them ever since." He chuckled to himself. "She's changed her name and her accent so don't look too surprised when you see her and hear her speak." 

"That's a smart move. Maybe we all should have done that." Zack knew where two of his eleven brothers and sisters were, only nine to go. The most important one of all to find would be Max, as always. He wondered if she had changed much. 

Zane hotwired a nearby car and climbed into the passenger seat. "You drive, I'll give you directions. Jondy seems to think that Max is in Seattle." He saw the look on his brother's face. "Don't ask how she knows. You know what Jondy and Max are like. They haven't tried to contact each other, so don't ask about that either." 

Zack nodded. "I looked up the records at the adoption agency. I know where the others are. Jondy was the only one I couldn't find a record of. I'll set up a contact number so that I can be reached if any of you get into trouble or we get compromised." 

Zane fished a photo out of his pocket. "Sounds like a plan. This is what Jondy looked like six months ago." He laughed as he saw Zack's eyes widen. "Yeah, I know. She's gorgeous. I bet the others are too." 

"I'm guessing you're going to need another place to stay when you get back here." Zack kept his eyes on the road. He didn't want the police to stop what were obviously two underage drivers. "I take it they were your foster parents." 

"Yeah. Don't worry about it. I have somewhere I can go until I find something permanent." Zane always made sure he had a back up plan. "The woman that took Jondy in is real nice. I can't see Jondy having anymore problems. Her foster brother is really protective of her. He almost flattened me the last time I came to visit." 

"Did the mother see you?" Zack felt that Zane was taking a risk visiting Jondy too often. 

"No." Zane rolled his eyes. "Lighten up, Zack. You know I wouldn't put Jondy in danger. You should be happy that one of us found a good home." 

"Yeah," Zack gruffly replied. "Everybody else seems to have been in and out of foster homes. Brin was in five in two months. I guess I'll find out about the others when I get to them." 

Jondy spotted her two brothers before they saw her. "Devon, stay here for a minute will you." She nudged her friend that had become like a brother to her. "I just have to speak to these two guys." She giggled at the look on Devon's face. "I'll be fine." She walked over to her brothers totally unaware of the attention that she was getting. "What happened this time, Zane." 

Zane kissed his sister's cheek. "Hank got drunk again. I managed to get Caroline to a shelter before he put her in hospital again." He gestured to Zack. "With a little help from big brother here." 

Zack hugged his sister. "You look good, Jondy." He had been surprised by her English accent but more surprised by the fact that the photo that Zane had of her didn't do her justice. She really was beautiful. "We can't stay long. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." He showed her a number that he had written on a piece of paper. "This is the contact number. You need anything, just leave a message and I'll get here as quick as I can." 

Jondy nodded. She had instantly memorized the contact number as no doubt the others would. "I'm fine here, Zack. Devon's mother just told everyone that she had adopted me. Nobody actually thought to check that she had. By the way, everyone calls me Jessica." 

Zack managed a small smile. "Smart thinking. We gotta go." He hugged his sister again and headed back to the car. 

Zane shook his head. "He hasn't changed, has he?" He waved to Devon who was watching them. 

Jondy was watching Zack. "He never will. He feels responsible for all of us. Has he tracked down Maxie yet?" 

Zane nodded. "You were the only one he couldn't locate. He's making his way around the country, contacting us one by one. I think he came to me first." He hugged his sister. "You know where I am if you need anything." 

Jondy squeezed his hand. "Sure thing, Big Brother." She turned and walked back to Devon. 

Once Zane was safely back Los Angeles, Zack headed to Seattle to find Max. It wasn't easy. She had left yet another abusive foster home when the Pulse hit. There were no records to go by and he figured she was pretty much living on the streets. He finally spotted her one day on the street. Her hair had grown and now fell around her shoulders in soft curls, a bit like Jondy's but dark brown instead of copper red. Something stopped him from approaching her that day. He wasn't sure what, but he stood out of sight watching his sister as she walked into an abandoned building. She had a confidence about her that she hadn't had before. She also had friends that from watching her, he could tell she was close to. He couldn't risk giving her the contact number. Watching for a few minutes more, Zack then headed to Portland to find Tinga. 

Over the years that followed, Zack was constantly on the move. Traveling from state to state checking up on his siblings. Every one of them had found a way to make it through the hurdles that life put in the way and stayed out of sight of the Manticore troops that wouldn't give up looking for them. Who knew what the future would hold for them though. 

_The End_


	48. Extra Chapter: Work Commitments

--------------------  
_Extra chapter, not an actual part of the series._ --------------------

**"Work Commitments"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. No copyright infringement intended.  
**Summary:** Logan is out of town following a story. Can he and Max last the time apart.  
**Rating:** PG - some graphical violence  
**Category:** Romance  


------=====================------

"I've got a hot run here people." Normal waved a package in the air. "Don't all rush forward." His employees didn't even acknowledge his existence. "I don't pay you people to ignore me."

Max walked her bike into the entrance of Jam Pony, saw the parcel Normal was waving, grabbed it and walked back out without a word. Alec nudged Original Cindy. "What's up with Max? She hasn't stopped for a break all day."

Original Cindy watched Max climb on her bike and ride off down the street. "She's trying to keep busy. Logan's gone out of town to follow up leads on a story he's writing. I think she's missing him."

Alec had never considered Max having feelings like that. She always seemed so in control. "How long is he going to be gone?" The thought of Max being lonely was such a foreign concept.

Original Cindy shrugged. "Till next week I think." She had never seen Max so depressed. It was almost as if her friend had lost a part of herself. "I don't think sister girl's heard from him since he left."

Alec turned to his co-worker. "Depending on where he is, maybe he has no way of contacting her." He got the impression every time he saw Logan, that he would move heaven and earth to contact Max. "I'm sure she'll hear from him soon."

Max walked into her apartment as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders. "Hey." She slumped down beside Original Cindy on the sofa. "Any messages?" She asked hopefully.

Original Cindy shook her head. "Sorry sugar." She stifled a grin as Max rose and walked dejected to her room. When she heard Max's squeal of delight, she chuckled to herself. "Oh yeah, some flowers came for you a few minutes ago." She was pleased that her friend's mood seemed to have changed.

Max walked out, her face buried in the huge bouquet of flowers. "They're beautiful." Nobody had ever sent her flowers before.

"What's the card say?" Original Cindy spotted a small card tied to the stems of the flowers. She had to admit, Logan had perfect timing. She couldn't be happier for her friend.

Max frowned slightly. She had been so overwhelmed by the flowers that she hadn't noticed the card. With shaking hands she opened the card. A single tear trickled down Max's lovely face as she read the three words on the card. "I miss you."

Original Cindy was impressed. "The boy sure knows how to make a romantic statement. He may change my opinion on the whole three legged species."

Max stared at the card for a moment before trying to find something to use as a vase. "I wish I knew where he was." She arranged the flowers in an old jar. "God, I miss him." It was a strange feeling. She missed her brothers and sisters, but not like this.

"He'll be back before you know it." Original Cindy reassured her. "Then I suppose we won't see you for days, cause you'll have to make up for all that lost time."

"Yeah." Max's mind was elsewhere. It wasn't until Original Cindy waved her hand in front of Max's face, that she remembered her friend was still there. "I may need some help from you and Bling with something."

Original Cindy beamed. "This could be interesting. What do ya need?"

Over the week, Max worked her butt off during the day, but every night when she came home, she found a surprise from Logan. Each surprise came with a short note. First there were the flowers with the 'I miss you' note. Then came the violinist who handed her the 'I need you' note. Then there was the poem which brought Max close to tears with the 'I want you' note. The following day a cake arrived with the words 'I love you' iced on it. At the end of the week a note arrived simply saying 'I'll be home tonight.'

It was close to midnight when Logan finally walked into his apartment. He was exhausted, but his need to see or at least hear from Max was greater than his exhaustion. As he opened his bedroom door to drop off his bags he came face to face with hundreds of balloons. He burst out laughing when he realized each balloon had a message written on it in black marker pen. 'I miss you. I need you. I want you. I love you.' Each balloon had a different message. It must have taken Max ages to hand write each message on the balloons.

Dropping his bags, Logan ran over to the phone and dialed her number. When Max answered the phone, he couldn't believe how much he had missed her. Just the sound of her voice made him long for her. "So I went to put my bags away and I can't get into my bedroom because it's full of balloons."

Her giggle echoed down the phone. He could picture her standing there, the teasing smile on her face, the mischievous look in her eyes. He could almost smell her perfume as if she were standing next to him.

"You sound exhausted." Max loved how his voice flowed down the line. It was so soothing. He sounded so close. "Did you get your story?" She almost felt as though she could reach out and touch his face.

"Yeah, I got my story. It should be in tomorrow's paper." He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in her arms. "I am pretty tired." He looked over his shoulder and saw the balloons were floating out of the bedroom, through the apartment. "You welcome home present is escaping my bedroom."

Envisioning the picture of the balloons roaming through Logan's apartment sent Max into a fit of giggles. "I had Original Cindy and Bling help me blow all of those balloons up. It's the least I could do after you sent the flowers, the poem, the cake and the violinist."

Logan had decided impulsively to arrange for the gifts to be sent to Max. Every morning that he had woken alone, without even the other side of the bed being warm from her presence, he felt the need to do something for her. Every night that he had fallen asleep without her in his arms, he would think up the idea of another gift. "I had to do something. I just about went crazy being away this last week." He was just about falling asleep on his feet.

"You need some sleep." Max would have ridden over to him in a matter of seconds if he hadn't sounded so tired. "I'll see you in the morning." She intended to be the first thing he was going to see in the morning. "I've gotta warn you though, you're going to have to put up with me all day cause I don't have to work tomorrow."

Logan couldn't wait until tomorrow. "I'll see you in the morning then." He hated to put the phone down. "I love you."

Max could have happily talked to him all night, but morning would come soon enough. "I love you too. Sweet dreams." She put the phone and turned to find Original Cindy grinning from ear to ear. "What?"

Original Cindy tried to look innocent. "Nothing. I was just thinking, Logan will be lucky if he gets to sleep past five am." She ducked into her room when Max threw a cushion at her. "I take it the only thing on his breakfast menu will be you." She called out from her room.

"That was the general idea." Max smiled as she headed for her own room. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

_The End_


	49. Extra Chapter: A Storm, a Flood, and a C...

--------------------  
_Extra chapter, not an actual part of the series._ --------------------

**"A Storm, a Flood, and a Cabin in the Woods"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. No copyright infringement intended.  
**Summary:** What was meant to be a romantic weekend away, turns into a disaster for Max and Logan when a storm hits.  
**Challenge:** Challenges #8 & 18 : #8 A massive storm hits Seattle, rain, snow, ice, whatever. Max must help someone close to her. #18 A natural disaster strikes and your characters must cope. Use any disaster, flood, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, blizzard, Volcano, melting polar ice caps, asteroid... How does your character react? Do they save themselves or help others? Hide or organize relief efforts? Explore the character's personality. How people react to stress tells a lot about them.  
**Rating:** PG - some graphical violence  
**Category:** Romance, Drama  


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Max was bored. It seemed that lately she and Logan were always working. She had spent more time at home in her apartment with Original Cindy in the last month than she had with Logan. She wished that they could get away together, just the two of them, if only for the weekend.

Logan poured himself another cup of coffee. It seemed like years since he and Max had spent any time alone together. He glanced at his computer desk thoughtfully. It wasn't as if there was anything on his desk that couldn't wait for a couple of days. Come to think it, his family still had that cabin in the woods. It was one of things they had managed to hold onto when his Uncle Jonas had been killed and Cale Enterprises had been exposed.

Before he could change his mind, Logan quickly picked up his phone and dialed Max's phone number. The phone was picked up on it's first ring. "Hey, it's me. What are you doing for the next couple of days?"

"I thought I'd write a novel. You know something along the lines of girl gets bored so she decides to runaway and join the circus." Max joked. "Why?"

"I thought we might try and get away for the weekend." Logan loved her sense of humor. "My family's cabin is free, so I figured we could both use the break."

"You're not bringing your lap top with you, are you?" This sounded too good to be true.

"No." Logan rolled his eyes. "But I am taking the cell phone." He heard her groan down the other end of the phone. "Just in case of an emergency. The phone in the cabin was cut off. How about I compromise with the cell phone and only switch it on if we need it."

Max smiled to herself. "Deal. Calling Bling to see if you have any messages doesn't count as needing to use the phone though." It was Friday evening and she had to work on Monday. "When were we planning to leave?"

"Can you have a bag packed and ready in twenty minutes?" Logan was eager to leave before anything important came up.

"Hell, yes." Max could be packed in five if need be.

"See you soon." Logan was grinning from ear to ear as he put the phone down. It wouldn't take long to get to the cabin and then he and Max could get some much needed R&R.

It was close to midnight when they got to the cabin. The wind was blowing so hard that sticks and leaves were hitting the outside of the cabin. Max started collecting loose wood for a fire while Logan carried the bags inside and unloaded a box of food from the car.

Half an hour later, they were both cuddled up in front of a roaring fire. The harsh winds were whistling through the trees outside of the cabin. "Sounds as though a storm's heading this way." Logan was glad he had parked the car on the other side of the cabin away from the river.

"Good thing I didn't have any plans to go skinny dipping." Max teased him. It was perfect being snuggled up together, while the winds battered the cabin.

Logan chuckled. "Maybe the storm will have passed by morning and you can rethink that skinny dipping idea of yours." He started tickling her.

Max was wriggling and shrieking so much that they both ended up falling on the floor. She looked up at Logan. "It's a good thing I heal quickly otherwise I'd be constantly covered in bruises."

"Could be fun kissing all of those bruises better." Logan's blue eyes sparkled as he kissed her collar bone, then her neck and finished with her lips. "This definitely warrants a closer inspection." The ended up making love on the floor in front of the fire.

Sometime during the night, they actually made it into the bed. The rain started in the early hours of the morning pounding against the roof. It got so loud that it woke them both up.

The next morning Logan made them both breakfast. He looked out the window while they ate. The rain had been so heavy that the river was overflowing. He could see at least one tree that had fallen under the pressure of the rain. The view was unclear due to the heaviness of the rain still falling. "Guess it's a good job we planned to stay the weekend."

Max nodded while she munched on a piece of French toast. "Must have been a rough storm last night. The river bank's closer than it was, when we got here." Even with her feline vision, Max couldn't see clearly through the rain.

"I'll look and see how much wood we have left for the fire after breakfast." Logan poured himself another cup of coffee. "At the very least I should be able to find some wood we can dry out for tonight."

"You know there are other ways to keep warm, right." Max reached out and brushed a crumb off of Logan's face. "You don't have to do the macho thing and get soaked collecting wood to impress me."

Logan caught hold of her hand and kissed the palm. "I'm not trying to be macho." He grinned. "Well, maybe a little. I want to make sure the storm didn't do any damage to the cabin. I also want to make sure the car isn't stuck incase it doesn't stop raining by the time we have to leave."

Max rolled her eyes. "Fine. Don't blame me when you get soaked to the skin and end up catching a cold. I'm not going to play nurse maid to you." It was nice being fussed over though. On the rare occasions they weren't working, Logan did treat her like a Princess.

"I promise to put a raincoat on." He reassured her. He finished his breakfast and started clearing the dishes. The sky outside the window was getting darker and darker. This storm was only going to get worse. "I'll be back in a minute." Logan grabbed his coat and ran outside.

The car was sheltered from the storm by the cabin. Logan had left his glasses inside knowing they wouldn't be of any use in this weather. He could barely keep standing upright as the wind was so strong. The smaller trees had been torn down with the wind and the rain.

Just as Logan turned back towards the cabin, part of the riverbed crumbled sending a flood of water towards him. He heard Max scream out his name as his legs were pushed out from under him. He could feel branches from the fallen trees ripping at his clothes and skin as he reached out for something to stop him from being swept away. Finally he caught hold of the trunk of one of the stronger trees and pulled himself upright. Pausing for a moment to catch his breath, he used one arm to hang onto the tree and the other to grab large braches floating past him. It was slow going but he managed to wedge the branches into the crumbled part of the riverbank.

"Are you insane." Max appeared beside him. She had found a rope in one of the cupboards and had tied one end to the cabin and the other end around her waist. In her haste to reach Logan, she hadn't dressed properly, so she was now socked and her shirt was clinging to her tiny frame. "Come back inside before you get yourself killed."

Logan wedged some more branches into the bank. It was starting to slow the flow of water down, forcing it to take it's natural path downstream. "Just a few more should do it." He was having to yell above the rushing sound of water.

Max grabbed some branches and helped to speed things up. She kept glancing at Logan, who looked as though he was going to loose his footing at any moment. Sure enough in the next moment Logan slipped and fell straight into the water. Max learched forward and grabbed him, resisting the urge to scream as she felt a rock jab into her ribs.

Logan reached out and grabbed hold of a rock embedded into a more secure part of the bank. He wasn't concerned for himself, after all it was his own fault, he was in the water. He was terrified that he would drag Max in with him. Battling against the wind he pulled himself out of the freezing water and onto more stable land. "Let's get inside." He waved towards the cabin.

"It's about time." Max's ribs were killing her. She heard a thundering crack and looked up to see one of the larger tree falling towards them. "Run!" She shoved Logan ahead of her, but got caught in the thick branches of the falling tree herself. The last thing she heard was Logan yelling her name before she slipped into the darkness.

Logan grabbed hold of the rope that Max had secured to herself and the cabin. He broke branches clear to get to her. He broke branches clear to get to her. Luckily Max wasn't trapped under the truck of the tree. Carefully pulling her clear of the tree, Logan lifted Max onto his shoulder and followed the rope back to the cabin.

Once inside Logan lowered Max onto the sofa. Quickly he grabbed some blankets, dry clothes and the first aid kit. A red stain had appeared on Max's white shirt which he hastily removed. The cut didn't look too deep though. She had cuts and bruises all over her lovely face. Logan gently tended her injuries, changed her into clean, dry clothes and wrapped her up in the blankets. He lit the fire with what was left of the dry wood and brought the same pile which had been sitting outside the door, inside to dry. He checked on Max again before changing his own wet clothes.

Logan stared out the cabin window. The storm had taken out a few more of the trees and the accompanying flood had pushed the bank closer to the cabin. They were safe for the moment, but how long would it last. He spun away from the window when he heard Max stirring.

Although Logan knew the cuts and bruises would heal quickly, he felt guilty that she had been hurt in the first place. He knelt beside the sofa and pulled the blanket up under her chin. If he hadn't gone out in the storm, Max wouldn't have gone out to help him and ended up being hurt.

"Logan?" Max slowly opened her eyes. "You alright?" She winced when she tried to sit up. "Ow. Where's the bus that ran over me?"

Logan reached around her and gently lifted her into a sitting position. "I'm fine, but I think you have a couple of cracked ribs. You're pretty battered and bruised. You also have a rope burn around your waist."

Max managed a weak smile. "Great. Original Cindy will probably think we got up to something kinky, while we were away." She reached out and touched Logan's forehead. "That's a pretty nasty cut you've got there."

In his haste to patch Max up and get her warm, Logan hadn't noticed his own cuts and bruises. "It's not so bad." He handed Max the first aid kit anyway, when she reached for it. "You know, you didn't have to get hit by a tree, just so I could kiss your bruises better." He tried to joke.

Max smiled at him as she dressed the cut on his forehead. "Hey, you're the one who went skinny dipping with your clothes on." She noticed the cuts on his hands. "Did you even check yourself for injuries?" She shook her head when he said no. "Take your shirt off. We might as well have matching bandages."

Logan did what he was told and sat beside Max so that she didn't have to move too much. Despite falling in the river, he was still a lot better off than she was. He never took his eyes off of her once as she tended his wounds. "This wasn't quite what I imagined this weekend turning out like." Every time she winced, he felt it and felt responsible for her pain. "I'm sorry."

Max looked up into his eyes, full of concern. "Why? Did you hit me with a tree?" She had the feeling he was blaming himself for this. "Did you cause the storm? Did you force me out into the rain?"

"You came out to help me, if you hadn't you wouldn't have gotten hurt." Logan watched as Max's petite hands taped a dressing to his side.

"We are so not having this 'It's my fault you got hurt' conversation." Max stroked the side of his face. "How long do you think this storm is going to last?"

"I don't know." Logan's face was still full of concern. "The storms so bad I can't get out on my cell." At that moment the window shattered. Instinct took over and Logan pulled Max onto the floor and covered her body with his own.

The wind and rain was roaring in the broken window, blowing books and ornaments off of tables and shelves. Thinking quickly Logan covered Max with a blanket and raced over to the kitchen sink. He knew a tool box was kept in the cupboard underneath the sink. He just hoped what he needed was in there. "Thank God." He muttered as he pulled the hammer and a packet of nails out of the tool box .

Max watched Logan nail a coffee table over the broken window. He really did surprise her sometimes. Her jaw just about hit the ground when he swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom at the back of the cabin. She felt like a child being tucked into the huge bed. The truth was when she finally admitted it to herself, she was so stiff and sore from the cuts and bruises that she could barely move. When Logan turned to leave, she grabbed hold of his hand. "Where are you going?" Her voice came out as a whimper.

Logan knelt beside her. "I'm just going to make sure the rest of the cabin is secure. We don't know how much longer the storm is going to last." He stood and kissed her bruised forehead. "I'll be right back."

Logan was true to his word. He returned with a couple of cups of cocoa. "Are you warm enough?" He noticed her hands were shaking as she took the cup. Then he realized, she was having a seizure. Taking her cup quickly, he placed it with his own on the bedside table and went to grab her pills from her bag.

Max shoved a couple of the tablets into her mouth and nestled down into the bed. She hated feeling this helpless even if she did enjoy Logan fussing over her. The seizure started to ease as she cuddled up to Logan. Finally getting comfortable, she drifted off to sleep.

Sometime during the night the storm passed over. Logan and Max woke to the quiet calming sound of the river flowing smoothly outside. Logan did a quick inspection of the damage outside. One window needed repairing, several trees were down but could be cut up for firewood, the riverbank would need some maintenance, but it wasn't too bad.

Max was limping around the kitchen when he got back inside. "How bad is it out there?" She set a couple of cups of coffee down on the table and eased herself into a chair.

"Not too bad." Logan reached out and took her hand in his. "How are you feeling?" She had already started healing, but was still looking pretty battered and bruised.

Max shrugged off his concern. "Give me a couple of days and you'll never know I had an argument with a tree." She managed a small laugh. "Next time we decide we want a weekend away, how about we just take your phone off the hook and switch the cell phone off."

Logan couldn't help but grin. "Could probably set up a tent in the living room for that mosquito free outdoor experience." He lent forward and gently brushed her lips with his. "How about I make us some breakfast and then we head home?" He had every intention of heading home via the emergency room, so that Sam could give Max a proper check up and a Doctor's note to get off work tomorrow.

"Sounds like a plan." Max, for once couldn't wait to get home. What had started off as a romantic weekend away, had nearly turned fatal for both of them.

_The End_


	50. Extra Chapter: Once Upon A Full Moon

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_Extra chapter, not an actual part of the series._ --------------------

**"Once Upon A Full Moon"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Fred, Chicken Man and the drunk however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.  
**Summary:** The full moon is effecting everyone close to Max including Logan.  
**Challenge:** Response to Challenge #48: They say people go crazy when there's a full moon. Write a full moon night in Seattle.  
**Rating:** PG - some graphical violence  
**Category:** Humor  


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Max sat up on the space needle staring at the full moon. She remembered back at Manticore, the nomalies always seemed to get noiser and a little more strange over the three nights of the full moon. Although she hated to admit it, so did the X5 siblings. Ben, who was usually so chatty and always telling them stories, would go strangely quiet. Jondy, who had always been so quiet and nervous, would get this look in her bright blue eyes, that dared anyone to cross her. Not even the guards would go near her over the full moon nights.

It was on nights like this, Max missed her brothers and sisters the most. Sighing at the moon, she returned to her apartment.

"Hey, sugar." Original Cindy looked up from watching the television when she heard Max come in. "I thought you'd be staying with Logan."

"No. He's busy fighting for another cause with Asha." Max screwed her nose up. "I didn't want to intrude." She was feeling sorry for herself and she knew it. Before she had met Logan, Max was never concerned about anyone but herself. She kept herself closed off, he had changed all of that.

"Boo, you know he ain't interested in Asha other than being her friend." Original Cindy was usually happy to humour Max when she got in these self piting moods. Not tonight though. "Now you get your transgenic arse over to his castle and give him something other than work to think about."

Max frowned at her friend. "What's got your panties in a twist." The full moon must have been effecting everyone. It wasn't like Original Cindy to be so grouchy with her.

"Everyone waited a whole year for you and Logan to stop dancing around each other and admit you loved each other." Original Cindy was practically yelling at her. "Then you got given that damn virus and ...." She seemed to suddenly become aware that she was yelling. "Sorry Boo. Gotta switch to decaf coffee."

Max shrugged her shoulders. "Don't worry about it. Think I'll go for a ride." She turned and opened the door, only to find Logan standing outside. "What are you doing here? I thought you and Asha were working."

Logan smiled at her. "There's always tomorrow. Besides, I missed you." He took her face in his hands and kissed her so passionately, that she just about lost her balance.

"Well, I think I'll turn in for the night." Original Cindy switched the television off and retreated to her room.

Max took a step back. "Are you alright?" It wasn't like Logan to be so impulsive or to push aside work. "You're not coming down with something are you?" Max almost kicked herself. What was she saying? She wished Logan would do this more often.

"Max!" Alec ran up to them, still standing in the doorway. "There's something weird going on with Joshua. He's howling at the moon."

"So tell him to stop." Max wasn't really listening as Logan was kissing her neck. "It's probably because of the full moon. Just explain to him, he'll get caught and end up in a cage if he doesn't stop."

"I did." Alec seemed oblivious to Logan's presense. "He said the moon started it by howling at him first." He looked at Max as though he had just noticed that she was attractive. "Have you done something different with your hair?"

Max rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll go and talk to him." Max knew for certain it was the full moon playing games with them, when Alec started asking about her hair. "I won't be long." She gently pushed Logan away.

"It's ok. I'll come with you." Logan took hold of her hand and started heading down the corridor. "You coming Alec?"

Alec shrugged his shoulders and shut the door to Max's apartment. "Sure. The more, the merrier."

At Joshua's house, they found the big man sitting in his back yard howling up at the sky. His neighbours were yelling abuse at him out of their windows. Alec sat down beside Joshua and looked up at the sky. "So I take it the moon's still picking a fight with you."

Joshua nodded. "Don't like the way he's looking at me. I think he's laughing at me." He frowned up at the moon.

"Who's laughing at you?" Max crouched the other side of Joshua. She couldn't see anyone, let alone hear anyone laughing.

"The man in the moon." Joshua replied as if it were so obvious. "He's laughing at you too."

"Well, I think we should just ignore him and go inside." Max tugged on Joshua's hand and led him into the house. "Between you and the man in the moon, you're both upsetting the neighbours."

"He started it." Joshua complained.

"Well, you're going to finish it." Max scolded him. It was like talking to a child. Once she was happy that Joshua would stay inside and not howl at the moon, Max got back into the car with Alec and Logan.

Just as Logan started the car, a naked man streaked across the road. "Well, that's something you don't see every day."

"Actually, that's Fred." Alec pointed out. "It's sort of a regular gig with him."

Logan looked over his shoulder at Alec. "I was talking about the lobster tattoo he has on his rear." He pulled the car out onto the street. "Where to?"

"I think we should all go to our separate homes and lock ourselves in until the full moon is finished." Max was starting to get seriously freaked by the weirdness that was surrounding her tonight.

"That's rather selfish, Max." Alec leaned forward. "You could at least offer to lock yourself up with Logan." He slapped Logan on the back as though they had been friends for years. Usually, the two men couldn't stand each other. Alec was always trying to bait Logan. "How do you put up with her Logan?"

"It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it." Logan joked back. He realised that he would have to apologie for that comment in the morning. It just seemed to have popped out. "Where can I drop you off, Alec?"

Alec pointed out the windscreen. "Just drop me over there by the guy dressed like a chicken. He looks like he's having fun."

The man was running up and down the street holding his head. Feathers were flying off of his costume onto the street as he ran. As they got closer to him, they could hear him yelling "The sky is falling, the sky is falling."

Alec grinned. "This is going to be a blast." He crawled out of the car, waving goodbye to Logan and Max. "See ya tomorrow if the sky doesn't fall on us."

Logan watched Alec's antics for a moment. "Is it just me or are we all acting strange tonight?" He spotted a drunk at the entrance of an alleyway staring up at the moon. A second later the drunk smiled and blew the moon a kiss.

"I'm telling you, it's the full moon." Max giggled at the drunk. "Makes everyone act strange." She glanced over to where Alec was now doing some strange sort of tribal dance with the chicken man. "Some more than others. I think we'd better head home before we catch what they have."

Logan turned to see what Max was looking at and laughed. "Sure, but they actually look as though they're having fun." He pulled the car away from the curb and drove Max back to her apartment building.

He walked her up to her door. Logan knew Max could take care of herself, but he still needed to make sure that she got back to her apartment safely. "Make sure you lock your door. There's a lot of crazy people out there tonight." He joked with her. "Goodnight." He leaned forward and kissed her goodbye.

"You know, maybe Alec had the right idea before." Max shot Logan a sexy smile before grabbing the front of his shirt and pulled him inside the apartment. "I think I'd better lock you in here with me. It'll be much safer." She flicked the lock behind him and put the chain across the door.

"Got no arguments there." Logan pulled her closer.

"You know the full moon lasts for three nights, don't you?" Max informed him.

"There nothing else we can do then," Logan tried to look serious. "I'm just going to have to stay locked in here with you for three nights." A moment later they had both forgotten all about the full moon and the weirdness they had encountered that night.

_The End_


	51. Extra Chapter: The Pulse

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_Extra chapter, not an actual part of the series._ --------------------

**"The Pulse"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The character of Jennifer Winston however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.  
**Summary:** The world changes overnight. Logan sets his mind to help, Max looks for a way to have a normal life.  
**Challenge:** Response to Challenge #13: Describe the events that happened after the Pulse somehow. Is there war, famine, anarchy, plague? A worldwide depression? You decide.  
**Rating:** PG - some graphical violence  
**Category:** Drama  


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12.05 June 1st 2009 Overnight the world changed. Food was rationed, so was power and fuel and just about everything else everyone had taken for granted. The rich could still buy whatever they needed, it just cost more and the poor and homeless could not. Sector points were set up to restrict the heavy flow of people trying to leave the worse cities behind.

For some people, it wasn't much of a change. They had nothing before the pulse and they had nothing now.

For all his family's wealth, Logan Cale was one of those rare people that needed to help those less fortunate. Most of his family disapproved and considered him the black sheep. When the Sector Police used their positions to extort money from citizens trying to get a chance at a better life, he exposed them. He would let nothing and no one stand in his way, which earned him several death threats.

Logan had created 'Eyes Only' for the sake of his family's safety. It was all very well trying to save the world, but not at the expense of his family, despite what they may think of him. His decision to become a journalist and avoid the family business had not gone down well with his father. His mother had understood Logan's need for adventure, to help people with his stories and above all, to be different from the rest of the family.

Riots had started moments after rationing had been announced. The police were limited and some officers accepted bribes to look the other way. The world had gone completely backwards in matter of moments.

In another part of the city Max hid under the stairs, anxious to avoid yet another beating from her adopted father. As soon as the pulse had hit, the power had gone off, interrupting his football game, he had needed to vent his rage on someone.

Max could have easily taken him, but in doing so, she would have exposed herself. Being normal wasn't all it was cracked up to be, especially in moments like this. Maybe it was time to move on, again.

When Max actually dared to let herself dream, it was always the same. A better life, in a better place with her X5 siblings. It seemed such a simple dream back at Manticore, but not so simple when they had tried to put it to practice.

She had always wondered where the other eleven that had escaped with her were. Zack and Jondy were always the first to pop into her head. Zack had always been the leader. Max had no doubt he would be fine. Jondy was the closest to her though. When they had been separated, it had been like loosing a limb. She knew it was for their own safety that Zack had insisted that they split up.

She waited until her stepfather had collapsed into a drunken slumber before creeping out of her hiding place. Max hastily grabbed a few clothes and stuffed them into a bag. She beckoned her stepsister to go with her, but the little girl shook her head. She had such a defeated look in her eyes. Max hated to leave her behind, but she knew in her heart that her stepsister would only slow her down and probably get them both caught.

Casting one last glance at her stepsister, Max crawled out of window and into the night. She could survive by herself, she had been trained to. The human side of her craved to be loved though, know what it was like to be part of a real family.

She sat at the docks for a while, watching the fancy yachts pull in for the night. Memories of being dumped in the tanks at Manticore and being expected to hold her breath flashed through her mind. Jondy hated the water, her terrified face staring at Max immediately came to mind.

It seemed so unfair to Max, that all of these rich people still seemed to have so much at the click of their fingers. Especially when there were even more people on the streets, hungry and alone than there were two nights ago. She seriously doubted that her stepfather had even noticed that she had been missing for two days.

A couple stood on the deck of their yacht kissing passionately. Max watched them. The woman seemed oblivious to the world around her apart from her partner. The man on the other hand intrigued Max. Although he lavished attention and judging from the woman's jewellery, quite a bit of money on her, he seemed bored with her. It was almost as if he knew there were bigger more drastic issues happening in the world and he was wasting precious time on a woman he quite obviously did not love. Not that Max knew what love was.

The man grabbed a picnic basket and jumped onto the dock before helping the woman off of the yacht. As they walked past Max, he dropped the blanket and a bag of food beside her, never breaking his stride. Max waited until the couple made it to their car before opening the bag to see what was inside. She hadn't eaten since she had run away, so she was starving.

Logan watched the young girl from the car. Instinct had told him that she would have run if he had stopped and tried to offer her the food and blanket. He could see it in her beautiful young face. Especially in those big determined brown eyes. Instinct also told him she'd be gone when he got back from dropping his date home.

His date looked out the window at the girl, then over to Logan. "You know, the pulse has hit all of us hard, Logan. She's not the only one who's suffering."

Logan resisted the urge to laugh in her face as he started the car. She didn't know what suffering was. Jennifer Winston had been born rich and would probably die rich. Suffering to her was the fact that her hairdresser had, had to reschedule her hair appointment due to the power cuts.

He cast the girl on the docks one more glance before driving away down the street, which had started to resemble a war zone due to the riots. Without knowing it, the girl had made him more determined than ever to help right the wrongs of the world.

Max watched the car pull away and disappear. Maybe there were people who cared in the world. The trick was to find them. She bit into the apple she had found in the bag. She smiled to herself for the first time in years. That guy was going to make a difference to the world. She didn't how, but instinct told her that he would.

_The End_


	52. Extra Chapter: The Wrong Tape

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_Extra chapter, not an actual part of the series._ --------------------

**"The Wrong Tape"**  
by Kirsten Tapp

**Disclaimer:**Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. No copyright infringement intended.  
**Summary:** Max picks up the wrong tape and gets an insight into Logan's childhood.  
**Challenge:** Challenge #38 : Someone is watching home movies. It can be one character or more. Someone could show another person's home movies as a joke at a part. Or one person could relive their past.  
**Rating:** PG - some graphical violence  
**Category:** Romance  


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"Logan!" Max let herself into the apartment as usual. She unzipped her jacket and removed the disk she had just stolen for him, from the inside pocket. "Did you tape that movie for me whilst I was out committing a felony for you." She demanded as she rounded the corner to find him in his usual position in front of the computer.

"Yeah. It's the unmarked tape on the coffee table." He smiled up at her. "Did you get the disk?"

"As if there were any doubt." Max waved the disk at him, pulling it just out of his reach teasingly. Finally he just reached out and scooped her into his lap.

"Thank you." He plucked the disk out of her hand. "Any trouble getting it?" He kissed her hello and turned his chair back towards the computer with Max still in his lap.

"No, no trouble." She watched the screen as the information on the disk flashed up. "Looks like you're going to be busy." Parts of the data looked encrypted. It would take all night to decode it.

"It can wait till tomorrow." But Logan's brain was already working on ways to break the code. He didn't want to let go of Max though.

Max knew what Logan was like with his missions to save the world. "It's ok. I'll grab that tape and head home. We'll hook up tomorrow night."

"You sure?" Logan felt a bit guilty. He really wanted to bust this code

"Yeah. See you tomorrow." Max bent down and kissed him goodbye. Logan had been pretty considerate lately, putting work aside to spend time with her. The least she could do was repay the consideration. Reluctantly, she eased off of his lap and headed for the door, grabbing the video tape on the way out.

Back at her apartment, Max switched on the television and pushed the tape into the video player. Picking up the remote, she wrapped herself up in a blanket and pushed play. The picture on the screen flickered for a moment and then cleared to show what looked like a child's birthday party.

Original Cindy sat down beside Max. "Whatcha ya watching Boo?" She frowned at the picture on the screen. "Who's the kid? And why are you watching his birthday party?"

Max was as puzzled as Original Cindy "I don't know. I must have picked up the wrong tape. Logan said he'd tape a movie for me." She was about to push the stop button on the remote, when a voice off camera called out the boy's name. "Logan!"

"Logan!" Max and Original Cindy repeated at the same time. The camera moved it's view from the boy to a beautiful blond woman with sparkling blue eyes. She was standing beneath a banner that read, 'Happy 10th Birthday Logan.' Glittering about the neckline of her dress was a heart shaped locket.

Max pointed at the television. "That's Logan's Mom." She recognized the locket from Logan's cousin's wedding. She had lifted it off of Logan's Aunt Margo. "Wow, she's beautiful. Guess I know where he gets his looks from."

Original Cindy was impressed. "That's a damn fine looking woman. Which one's his father?"

"I don't know." Max admitted. "I've never seen photos or anything of his parents. The only reason I know that's Logan's mother is because of the locket she is wearing." She squinted at the television. "Who's the little girl beside him?"

It was so strange for Max to be watching a real children's birthday party. It wasn't something that she had ever experienced herself. She had heard about them, even see some on television programmes. But to be watching a home video of someone she actually knew, was a whole new experience.

Logan's mother hugged him and kissed the top of his head. A tall man appeared in the picture and kissed Logan's mother. When he looked down at Logan, instead of hugging the little boy, he held out his hand and shook the boy's hand.

"That's gotta be Logan's father." Max looked at the screen disapprovingly. "Wouldn't kill him to give Logan a hug." She watched as Logan blew out all of the candles on his cake. "So that's what I missed out on as a kid." Everybody looked as though they were having fun.

Logan opened his presents, his face lighting up every time the brightly colored wrapping was removed to reveal another present. The camera's view moved to settle on Logan's parents, who seemed unaware that they were being filmed. They looked so proud watching their son. Logan's father put his arm around his wife's shoulders and kissed his wife's forehead before looking back over at his son.

Original Cindy watched the changing expressions on Max's face. "Still think Logan's father's a heartless bastard." She teased.

Max gave her friend a sheepish grin. "I still think he could have given Logan a hug. I guess I know why Logan kept this tape. It's probably the only evidence Logan has that his father loved him."

"People have different reactions to their peeps, Boo." Original Cindy nudged her friend. "Some are all hugs and kisses. Others have trouble showing their feelings to those they care the most about." She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know why. I guess it's just human nature."

"I don't know about that." Max couldn't tear her eyes away from the birthday party. "We were trained not to have feelings, they were a weakness. For a while we were able to be convinced that Manticore was right. I think our peer's treatment of us, are part of who we are." She smiled as Logan waved at the camera. "But then I guess we also have the power to become the sort of person we want to be." The tape came to an end and started to rewind itself.

"Guess you got an insight to Logan's life. Isn't what you expected, was it Boo? You thought it was the best money could buy. The truth is Logan was just a normal little boy who got hugs from his Mom." Original Cindy grinned to herself. "The great 'Eyes Only' is just your average Joe."

Max ejected the tape from the machine and smiled at her friend. "Trust me. There is nothing average about Logan." She grabbed her jacket and headed for the door.

Logan got up out of his chair and stretched his limbs. He needed a break. Walking into his living room, he switched on the television and pushed play on the video player. He was surprised to find himself watching the movie that he had taped for Max. Then he realized what he had done. He had taken a family film out of the machine so that he could tape Max's movie and not switched them over after the movie had finished.

"Looking for this?" An elegant hand appeared over his shoulder holding an unmarked video tape.

Logan took the tape out of Max's hand. "Yeah, sorry. Your movie was still in the machine." He ejected the tape out of the machine and handed it to her. He saw the strange look on her face. "You watched it, didn't you? Was it that bad?"

Max swung her legs over the back of the sofa so that she was sitting beside him. "Keeping in mind that my childhood consisted of weapon's training and combat exercises." She smiled at him. "You gave me an insight to the other side of the fence. Plus you were an adorable little boy."

Logan stared thoughtfully at her for a moment. "We've got to get you a birthday. What about the 9th of May? You escaped from Manticore in May 2009. It's the perfect birthday."

"I don't need a birthday." Max was happy Logan had put so much thought into it though.

"Yeah, you do." He smiled lovingly at her. "It's the one day in the year where you can be completely spoilt by everyone around you." He knew that she had missed out on the joys of having a party thrown for her, getting surprise gifts, even making a wish while blowing out the candles on the cake. He desperately wanted to make all of that up to her.

Max's eyes sparkled as she snuggled down into his arms. "May 9th, huh. Happy Birthday to me." 

_The End_


End file.
